HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Energy

Helen Goodman: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to improve energy efficiency in the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate.

John Thurso: The Houses, acting as Parliament, have set a target to reduce absolute carbon emissions from energy use by 34% by 2020-21, against an independently validated 2008-09 base year. To meet the long-term targets intermediate annual targets are also set, and in 2012-13 Parliament met its annual target of a 12% reduction in absolute carbon emissions.

Parliament's Education Service: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many schools in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber were involved in visits to the Palace of Westminster arranged through the Parliamentary Education Service in each year since 2009.

John Thurso: The number of schools visiting Parliament (a) from the Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) from Yorkshire and the Humber through Parliament's Education Service in each year since 2009 is as follows:
	
		
			  Brigg and Goole Yorkshire and the Humber 
			 2013 booked to date 2 55 
			 2012 0 84 
			 2011 0 54 
			 2010 0 32 
			 2009 0 30 
		
	
	Figures in the table represent the number of different schools visiting Parliament through the Education Service in each calendar year (some of whom booked more than one session).

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Attorney-General what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) the Law Officers’ Departments and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Oliver Heald: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Cost-effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Attorney-General if he will place in the Library (a) the Law Officers’ Departments’ response to HM Treasury’s requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 comprehensive spending review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

Oliver Heald: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Crown Prosecution Service: Complaints

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether he has appointed an independent assessor of complaints made about the Crown Prosecution Service.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is in the process of appointing an Independent Assessor of Complaints who will provide independent scrutiny of non-legal complaints from victims and witnesses against the CPS. This appointment supports the CPS' commitment to increasing public assurance and confidence in the service that it provides.

Crown Prosecution Service: Disclosure of Information

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General when the Director of Public Prosecutions will conclude his inquiry into the circumstances and substance of a leaked Crown Prosecution Service memo encouraging lawyers to keep cases in-house on the basis of cost and convenience; and whether the conclusions will be published in full.

Oliver Heald: The Director of Public Prosecutions has now concluded his inquiries into the circumstances and substance of a leaked Crown Prosecution Service memo about the allocation of cases to advocates. The results of that inquiry and confirmation of CPS guidance on allocation of cases to advocates is set out in a letter from the Director to the Chairman of the Bar Council.

Crown Prosecution Service: Visits Abroad

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 17 April 2013, Official Report, column 469W, on visits abroad, for what reasons the Crown Prosecution Service spent £627,871 on foreign travel in 2012-13.

Oliver Heald: The £627,871 referred to as expenditure on overseas travel and subsistence by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in 2012-13 in my answer of 17 April 2013 is broken down as follows:
	(a) Liaison prosecutors £205,400. The CPS has liaison staff based in some major capitals assisting in evidence gathering to improve the prosecution of serious crime. They are funded from CPS operational budgets but work on behalf of all the investigative and prosecuting authorities in the UK.
	(b) Overseas capacity building deployments £299,300; these are costs associated with CPS staff based overseas delivering short and long-term assistance to UK law enforcement and security projects. Primarily they work as part of wider government efforts to build sustainable prosecutorial capacity in source or transit countries for serious crime and terrorism.
	(c) International liaison work £83,900; CPS International Division is responsible for the design and delivery of CPS international strategy. This includes the oversight and management of (a) and (b) above and is delivered to improve CPS prosecutions and/or reduce the impact of serious crime on the UK through the development of Rule of Law worldwide. Working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK law enforcement, DFID and others, this work requires international travel to priority jurisdictions as part of government efforts to prepare, manage and deliver this challenging work.
	(d) Live casework meetings with partner prosecuting authorities and conferences £45,500.
	(e) Uncategorised £4,500—presumed to relate to casework meetings and conferences, details are not immediately available from central records.
	These costs total £638,600—since 17 April an additional £10,700 has been identified and charged to the CPS 2012-13 Accounts, which are due to be published in June.
	It is important to note that all of the costs in (b) and some in (c) and (d) are reimbursed to the CPS by other UK Government Departments, overseas governments in two instances (the US and Canada), and multilateral organisations (for example the UN and Eurojust). This work has developed over recent years and the role of the CPS in helping develop the Rule of Law worldwide is now an important part of a joined up UK approach to justice and security. The work of CPS International Division generates external funding for long-term placements abroad; in 2012-13 the sums raised for CPS work abroad exceeded £l million.

Harassment and Sexual Offences

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Crown Prosecution Service maintains a record of the number of cases of (a) harassment or stalking and (b) indecent exposure that have been referred to it by the police for a charging decision in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of the offences or category of offences of (a) harassment or stalking and (b) indecent exposure referred for a charging decision. This information could be obtained only by examining all of the files sent to the CPS for charging advice, which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Harassment: Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service has carried out for harassment and stalking offences in each of the last five years; and what the conviction rates were.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of the number of prosecutions, or the conviction rate, for harassment and stalking offences. This information could only be obtained by examining all of the CPS's files, which would incur a disproportionate cost.
	The CPS does record the number offences charged, rather than the number of defendants prosecuted, under sections 2 and section 4 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, which has been used by prosecutors to cover incidents described as harassment or stalking. Data for the last five financial years are summarised as follows:
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 s(2) 6,984 7,365 8,039 7,713 7,159 
			 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 s(4) 2,201 2,296 2,408 1,801 1,521 
			 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 s(2A)(1) — — — — 72 
			 Protection from Harassment Act 1997 s(4A)(1) — — — — 19 
			 (1) New offences which came into force on 25 November 2012. These are Section 2A of Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (Stalking) and Section 4A of Protection from Harassment Act 1997 (Putting people in fear of violence or serious alarm or distress).

Homicide: Trials

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many times the Crown Prosecution Service has assigned a single prosecuting barrister to a murder trial where there have been multiple defendants in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) data show that in the financial year 2012-13 a Single advocate was instructed for the prosecution in 35 cases where there were multiple defendants sent for trial for the offence of murder. Two or more advocates were instructed in 107 cases involving multiple defendants. This data includes cases which resulted in a guilty plea.
	The CPS only started to capture this level of information in February 2012. The CPS did not collect this information before February 2012 and to capture the information now for the previous four years would require every murder case over that period to be identified and reviewed which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Homicide: Trials

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many times the Crown Prosecution Service has assigned a single prosecuting barrister to a murder trial in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) data show that in the financial year 2012-13 a single advocate was instructed for the prosecution in 278 cases where a case was sent for trial for the offence of murder. Two or more advocates were instructed in 240 cases. This data includes cases which resulted in a guilty plea.
	The CPS only started to capture this level of information in February 2012. The CPS did not collect this information before February 2012 and to capture the information now for the previous four years would require every murder case over that period to be identified and reviewed which would incur disproportionate cost.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Attorney-General what criteria are used in (a) the Law Officers’ Departments and (b) each public body for which he is responsible to determine which officials receive bonus payments.

Oliver Heald: For senior civil service (SCS) staff members, the criteria applied by the Law Officers’ Departments follow Cabinet Office guidelines and include objectives relating to quality, efficiency, people and finance. Any subsequent performance-related pay awards would be based on individuals assessed as high performers. Only 25% of individuals would fall into this category. The CPS also employs a number of senior legal managers who operate at a level of seniority comparable with SCS, but who are in a delegated employment group. These individuals are assessed in a similar fashion to SCS grades. No other CPS staff receive any performance-related payment awards.
	In the remaining Law Officer’s Departments, one-off, non-consolidated performance-related awards are made to individuals below SCS level who have received a high performance rating as part of the annual performance appraisal system. In addition, special performance-related awards are occasionally made to individuals in recognition of exceptional performance on specific tasks.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Attorney-General if he will publish details of all (a) the Law Officers’ Departments’ and (b) its non-departmental public bodies’ existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Oliver Heald: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Robbery: Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service has carried out for street robbery in each of the last five years; and what the conviction rates were.

Oliver Heald: The records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) provide an analysis of the outcome of proceedings, divided into twelve principal offence categories indicating the most serious offence with which the defendant was charged at the time of finalisation. The following table shows, in each of the last five years, the number of prosecutions and conviction rates for defendants whose principal offence was "robbery".
	
		
			  Total prosecutions Conviction rate (percentage) 
			 2008-09 13,193 81.6 
			 2009-10 12,687 81.8 
			 2010-11 13,014 79.4 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 13,478 79.9 
			 2012-13 11,672 79.3 
		
	
	The principal offence category of “robbery” comprises offences of robbery and assault with intent to rob. It is not possible to disaggregate these figures to show the breakdown of individual offences or the location of the robbery, such as a street. This information could only be obtained by examining all of the files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals the Law Officers' Departments engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at such consultations;
	(2)  how many members of the Law Officers' Departments' staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of this work;
	(3)  what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in the Law Officers' Departments have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at such meetings;
	(4)  what work the Law Officers' Departments have commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and how much any such consultancy has cost.

Oliver Heald: The Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible have not engaged with any organisations or individuals outside of Government or commissioned any work from external consultants in relation to the Scotland analysis programme. The Attorney-General and his officials have not held any meetings with the hon. Member for Edinburgh South (Ian Murray). One member of staff (and his predecessor) in the Attorney-General's Office has worked on the Scotland Analysis programme as part of a wider portfolio of work on devolution issues. No additional costs have been incurred as a result.

Sexual Offences: Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions the Crown Prosecution Service has carried out for indecent exposure in each of the last five years; and what the conviction rates were.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of the number of prosecutions, or the conviction rate, for indecent exposure offences. This information could only be obtained by examining all of the CPS's files, which, would incur disproportionate cost.
	Offences of indecent exposure are prosecuted under Section 66 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The CPS central Management Information Database does provide a record of the number offences charged under this section in respect of which a prosecution was commenced in the magistrates court rather than the number of defendants prosecuted. Data for the last five financial years are summarised as follows:
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Sexual Offences Act 2003 (66) 1,572 1,606 1,721 1,514 1,479 
		
	
	In addition indecent exposure can be prosecuted as a public nuisance offence under Common Law. The number of these offences charged in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Common Law 30 28 26 78 124 
		
	
	It is not possible to disaggregate figures to show separately the volume and outcome of proceedings for each individual offence on this list. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence.

Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  how many officials in (a) the Law Officers’ Departments and (b) their non-departmental public bodies travelled on (i) domestic and (ii) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year;
	(2)  how many officials in (a) the Law Officers’ Departments and (b) their non-departmental public bodies stayed in hotels in (i) the UK and (ii) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

Oliver Heald: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Air Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies travelled on (i) domestic and (ii) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year.

Jo Swinson: Unfortunately, due to the number of years involved, this question cannot be answered without incurring disproportionate costs. For information, in June 2010 the Department introduced new control measures on official staff travel. The controls highlighted that all staff travel should be made only where a business need existed and using the most economical methods with the default choice being standard or economy class travel. These controls continue to be applied now.

Business: Advisory Services

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, column 879W, on the growth voucher scheme, by what date he expects the private sector delivery partner to be in place for the Growth Vouchers Scheme.

Michael Fallon: At Budget 2013 the Government committed £30 million for an SME Growth Vouchers programme in England to test a variety of approaches to help SMEs overcome barriers to achieving growth.
	BIS officials will shortly be calling for Expressions of Interest to deliver the programme, and establish a firm timeline.

Business: Advisory Services

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, column 879W, on the growth voucher scheme, how many firms he expects to use growth vouchers in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15; and what projections or estimates he and officials have made in relation to this.

Michael Fallon: Further to my earlier answer, the Government has committed to test a variety of approaches to help small and medium-sized enterprises overcome barriers to growth.
	We expect up to 25,000 micro businesses and small firms to benefit from Growth Vouchers over the next two years.

Business: Finance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what date he expects to have allocated the unallocated funding remaining in the small business tranche of the Business Finance Partnership.

Michael Fallon: We have allocated £87 million of the £100 million available under this tranche of the Business Finance Partnership to a portfolio of lenders who each meet the objectives of this programme, and who are also able to demonstrate value-for-money for the taxpayer. Based on terms agreed with the successful applicants the £87 million that has been allocated is expected to mobilise more than £240 million of new lending. The remaining funds available under this tranche of the Business Finance Partnership will be reallocated to investments aimed at supporting SMEs but no final decision has been taken on which channels will be used.

Business: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total value of the contract was that his Department put out to tender to deliver a strategic plan creating awareness of the Business in You campaign.

Michael Fallon: Strategic planning to create awareness for Business in You was managed in-house so no contract was awarded.

Business: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2013, Official Report, column 449W, on business: Government assistance, how many firms were supported by the Growth Accelerator scheme in 2012-13.

Michael Fallon: 5,003 companies were supported by the Growth Accelerator scheme in its first 10 full months of operation to March 2013.

Business: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what date he expects funds under the Catalyst Fund for investment in small and medium-sized enterprises to be made available; and what process will be established for allocating those funds.

Michael Fallon: The Venture Capital (VC) Catalyst Fund is an extension to the Enterprise Capital Fund programme and is one of the first activities of the new business bank. It will bring forward additional investment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by investing in funds that specialise in early stage venture capital and are near to launch. Commitments will be made to funds from June 2013 to March 2015. Guidance for prospective fund managers has been published by Capital for Enterprise Ltd on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, which sets out the criteria and competitive process through which funds will be selected. It is available at:
	http://www.capitalforenterprise.gov.uk/files/ECF%20VC%20Catalyst%20Fund%20Guidance.pdf

Business: Postal Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from small business owners on the recent increase in Royal Mail postage prices.

Michael Fallon: The Department has received a small number of letters (circa 25) about concerns of small businesses over the recent increases in some of Royal Mail’s parcel postage prices.
	The pricing of its services is the direct operational responsibility of Royal Mail. Where those services are regulated, the company has to work within the regulatory framework put in place by the independent regulator, Ofcom. This sets down parameters for the pricing of universal postal services.
	Royal Mail recognises that its price increases will not be welcome by some small businesses. However, as a commercial business operating in a competitive market, Royal Mail has to ensure that prices for its services reflect the cost of providing them and that it can continue to keep those services reliable and efficient.

Carbon Monoxide

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what consideration he has given to commissioning a public information film to raise vital public awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Jo Swinson: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him on 8 January 2013, Official Report, column 226W.

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what definition of reasonable royalty his Department uses for the licensing of revived copyright under the repeal of Section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 as set out in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not currently use any such definitions.
	This issue will be considered during the consultation process regarding the repeal of section 52 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  if he will publish details of all (a) his Department's and (b) its non-departmental public bodies' existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending;
	(3)  what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Jo Swinson: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Cultural Relations: Australia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the repatriation of Australian indigenous human remains from UK institutions.

Edward Vaizey: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	Claims for the repatriation of human remains held in UK collections are for the trustees or governing authorities of the institutions involved to consider and the Government does not intervene. However, in 2005, the Government published, on behalf of the museums sector “Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums”, which includes advice on dealing with repatriation claims.

Direct Selling

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance his Department issues to companies which use door-to-door selling on protecting elderly and vulnerable people.

Jo Swinson: Door to door selling is regulated by general consumer protection legislation, including the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 which outlaw misleading and aggressive commercial practices which affect or are likely to affect consumers' decisions, including vulnerable consumers. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), has published detailed and summary guidance for business on the regulations, available from the OFT website.
	There are also specific regulations; the Cancellation of Contracts made in a Consumer's Home or Place of Work etc. Regulations 2008 (the Doorstep Selling Regulations) providing additional protections in respect of consumer vulnerabilities when agreeing contracts in their home. These require the provision of pre-contractual information and allow a seven day period during which the consumer may cancel agreements made in their home. Written guidance for business is available on the
	www.gov.uk
	website, as is a DVD, “The Seven Day Cooling Off Period”.

EU Grants and Loans

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what date he plans to announce the breakdown of European Regional Development Fund funding for 2014 to 2020 to local enterprise partnership areas; and whether he plans in addition to publish a breakdown by local government region.

Michael Fallon: A decision on the allocation of Structural Funds within England has not yet been made. The Government hopes to be able to announce indicative allocations to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) shortly. The Government has no plans to publish a separate breakdown by local government region.

Exports: Scotland

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the First Minister of Scotland on co-ordination of export strategy between Scottish Development International and UK Trade and Investment.

Michael Fallon: No direct discussions on export strategy with the First Minister of Scotland have taken place. However, the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, my noble Friend Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, meets relevant Scottish Government Ministers and senior representatives from Scottish Development International to discuss trade and investment matters, with the aim of better co-ordinating activities and strengthening the already positive relationship that exists between the two organisations.

Higher Education

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which higher education institutions (a) he and (b) the Minister of State for Universities and Science has visited since May 2010.

David Willetts: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has visited the following universities in England.
	University of the Arts, London
	University of Cambridge
	University of Exeter
	Falmouth University
	University of Huddersfield
	Imperial College London
	University of Keele
	University of Leicester
	University of Liverpool
	London School of Contemporary Dance
	University of Nottingham
	University of Oxford
	Oxford Brookes University
	University of Sussex
	University of Plymouth
	University of York
	I have visited the following universities in England.
	Anglia Ruskin University
	Aston University
	University of Bedfordshire
	Birkbeck College
	Birmingham University
	Birmingham City University
	University of Bradford
	University of Bristol
	Buckinghamshire New University
	Cambridge University
	University of Central Lancashire
	University of Chester
	The University of Chichester
	City University
	Courtauld Institute of Art
	Coventry University
	Cranfield University
	Durham University
	University of East Anglia
	University of East London
	Edge Hill University
	University of Exeter
	University of Gloucestershire
	University of Greenwich
	University of Hertfordshire
	Imperial College London
	Institute of Education
	University of Keele
	University of Kent
	King's College London
	University of Lancaster
	University of Leeds
	University of Liverpool
	University of London
	London Metropolitan University
	London School of Economics and Political Science
	London South Bank University
	University College London
	Loughborough University
	University of Manchester
	University of Newcastle upon Tyne
	University of Northumbria at Newcastle
	University of Nottingham
	Nottingham Trent University
	The Open University
	University of Oxford
	Oxford Brookes University
	University of Portsmouth
	Queen Mary, University of London
	University of Reading
	Royal College of Music
	Royal College of Art
	Royal Holloway, University of London
	School of Oriental and African Studies
	University of Sheffield
	Sheffield Hallam University
	University of Southampton
	Southampton Solent University
	University of Surrey
	University of Sussex
	Teesside University
	University of Warwick
	University of the West of England
	The University of Winchester
	University of York

Higher Education: Statistics

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  for how many years an individual student at a UK higher education institution appear as enrolled in data the Higher Education Statistics Agency currently collects;
	(2)  for the purposes of data gathering by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, what constitutes being a qualifier from a UK higher education institution; and whether this designation includes students across each year of study.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes information on students at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
	An enrolment is counted as part of the HESA Standard Registration Population if the person is registered as studying a higher education aim at a UK Higher Education Institution in the reporting period 1 August to 31 July. Our previous answer to PQ151431 on 18 April 2013, Official Report, columns 532-33W, stated that there were 2,496,645 enrolments in the academic year 2011/12—this included students from all domiciles who were active on full-time or part-time courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level at UK HEIs. A student appears in the Standard Registration Population as an enrolment in every year that they are active on their course; hence someone enrolled on a three year course will typically appear in the HESA data in each of the three academic years for which they are studying for their qualification.
	A person is counted within HESA's Qualifier Population if they gained a higher education qualification at any point in the reporting period 1 August to 31 July, regardless of whether this was their original qualification aim. My previous answer to PQ151431 on 18 April 2013, Official Report, columns 532-33W, stated that there were 787,205 qualifiers in the academic year 2011/12—this included students from all domiciles qualifying from full-time and part-time courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level from UK Higher Education Institutions.
	For more information on these statistics please refer to the Statistical First Release which was published by HESA on 10 January 2013.
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content& task=view&id=2667&ltemid=161

Hotels

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies stayed in hotels in (i) the UK and (ii) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

Jo Swinson: Unfortunately, due to the number of years involved, this question cannot be answered without incurring disproportionate costs. For information, in June 2010 the Department introduced new control measures on official staff travel. The controls highlighted that all staff travel including overnight stays should be made only where a business need existed and using the most economical methods. These controls continue to be applied now.

New Businesses

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2013, OfficialReport, column 743W, on new businesses, how many pilot spaces for start-ups are currently open to businesses.

Michael Fallon: I regret that it has not proved possible to answer this question before Prorogation, but I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the reply in the Libraries of the House.

New Businesses: Ethnic Groups

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what meetings he had between November 2011 and March 2013 with ministerial colleagues and officials in Government Departments to discuss the Government’s review of barriers faced by some black and ethnic minority entrepreneurs in accessing business finance;
	(2)  how many working hours officials from his Department have spent in connection with the Government’s review of barriers faced by some black and ethnic minority entrepreneurs in accessing business finance.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 April 2013, Official Report, column 850W.

Nuclear Power: Training

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what amount of public funding has been committed to support the (a) National Skills Academy for Nuclear, (b) Nuclear Energy Skills Alliance, (c) Nuclear Training Network and (d) Supply Chain Apprentices for Nuclear; and for what period of time each such commitment has been made.

Matthew Hancock: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Official Hospitality

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible claimed reimbursements for working lunches and official entertainment in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was in each such year.

Jo Swinson: Unfortunately, due to the number of years involved, this question cannot be answered without incurring disproportionate costs. For information, in June 2010 the Department introduced new control measures on hospitality and entertainment. Hospitality for internal meetings was withdrawn and guidance for the provision of entertainment for meetings was updated. This limited the provision of entertainment to those events where a business need could be demonstrated and the number of external visitors was higher than the number of departmental staff.

Procurement

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2013, Official Report, columns 123-24W, on procurement, what proportion of contracts were awarded to small and medium-sized businesses (a) directly and (b) through supply chains.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is not in a position to be able to identify what proportion of procurement contracts were won by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2012-13.
	What we can provide is the data which identifies the percentage by value of business placed with SMEs. This information is collected across government and is the current metric used to measure performance against the target of 25% of activity with SMEs.
	Between April and December 2012, based on the datasets available, BIS reported a figure of 36% by value was achieved. This information relates to (a) directly awarded expenditure.
	At present, BIS does not routinely collect the data for (b) through supply chains.
	Recent work undertaken across Government has started to collect this information. Cabinet Office undertook an exercise to analyse indirect spend with SME’s against the top 100 cross Government suppliers (66 of the top 100 have now provided that data).
	In relation to BIS, this would add an additional £23 million (across 22 suppliers) to our achievements in this area. As we move forward and commence identification of indirect spend with SME’s, we would anticipate this figure to increase.
	This information has been collated from the following entities:
	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills,
	Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service,
	Culham Centre for Fusion Energy,
	Higher Education Funding Council for England,
	Intellectual Property Office,
	National Measurement Office,
	Skills Funding Agency,
	Student Loans Company,
	UK Trade and Investment Administration,
	RCUK and the seven Research Councils,
	Insolvency Service.
	We do not have and cannot provide data for all other BIS partner organisations and they will need to be approached individually if this level of detail is required. To extract the full information across all partner organisations would involve a significant programme of work which would be disproportionate in cost to collect. The information collated above covers the majority of spend across BIS and partner organisations.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Jo Swinson: The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills has introduced steps to give consideration to and adhere to the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.
	At the pre-procurement stage for all service contracts above the threshold, BIS considers how the proposed service might improve the economic, social and environmental well being of the “relevant area”. BIS also has the opportunity to consider whether and how widely any consultation will be undertaken.
	This will be particularly relevant whenever services are delivered directly to citizens.
	Any outcomes from these deliberations/consultations will be built into the specification, the evaluation model and the contract to ensure robust delivery of the required outcomes.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 881W, on Regional Growth Fund, if he will list the (a) awards from round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund which are still to receive their final offer and (b) monetary value of those awards.

Michael Fallon: There are two bids from round 2 yet to receive final offer letters. Due to commercial sensitivity, details of these bids cannot be disclosed until negotiations have been completed.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many winning bidders to the third round of the Regional Growth Fund, by region, have (a) received an agreed offer, (b) received a final offer letter, (c) drawn down funding, (d) not yet received a final offer letter, (e) received a final letter offer but not yet drawn down funds and (f) withdrawn.

Michael Fallon: I will update the House on contracting progress for Rounds 1, 2 and 3 next month, once we have concluded discussions with all applicants.
	As set out in my written ministerial statement of 22 January 2013, Official Report, column 3WS, 123 applicants to Round 3 received conditional offer letters. The regional breakdown of these offers is set out as follows.
	
		
			 Region Conditional Offer Letters 
			 North East 25 
			 North West 26 
			 South East, East of England, East Midlands 20 
			 South West 9 
			 West Midlands 20 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 15 
			 Nationwide 8

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2013, OfficialReport, column 881W, on Regional Growth Fund, which contracts of what value have been moved from Round 2 onto the Round 3 timetable of the Regional Growth Fund to date.

Michael Fallon: In January 2013, 17 bids from Round 2 were notified that they would be granted an extension to 19 April 2013. 11 of these bids have now received final offer letters for a total of £77 million. Four bidders have withdrawn. Details of a further two bids cannot be disclosed until negotiations have been completed.
	A full update on Rounds 1, 2 and 3 will be provided to the House in a written ministerial statement next month.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many individual awards from Round One of the Regional Growth Fund have not yet received a final agreed offer; and what the monetary value is of each of those awards.

Michael Fallon: There is one bidder from Round 1 with whom we are yet to agree a final position. Due to commercial sensitivity, details of this bid cannot be disclosed until negotiations have been completed.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bids were received for funds under Round Four of the Regional Growth Fund.

Michael Fallon: A total of 309 Round 4 applications were received.

Regional Growth Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2013, Official Report, column 881W, on Regional Growth Fund, under the Exceptional Regional Growth Fund (a) how many applications for funds have been received, (b) how many enquiries regarding potential applications for funds have been received and (c) how many grants have been made to date.

Michael Fallon: To date there have been seven applications for exceptional Regional Growth Fund support. Three awards have been made in principle but no final terms have been agreed on these.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals his Department engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting.

Michael Fallon: Work on the Scotland analysis programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. There is a small team in the Treasury coordinating the programme.
	BIS Ministers and officials engage with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Meetings held or attended by Ministers and senior officials can be found on the BIS website.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many members of his Department's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and at what cost to the public purse.

Michael Fallon: Work on the Scotland Analysis programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. There is a small team in the Treasury coordinating the programme. The cost of carrying out the work is being funded from existing departmental budgets in the normal way.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings he or his officials have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting.

Michael Fallon: There have been no such meetings with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Mr Darling), as part of the UK Government's Scotland Analysis programme. Meetings held or attended by Ministers are routinely published as part of the Department's quarterly transparency returns and can be found on the BIS website.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not commissioned external consultants in its work on the Scotland Analysis programme.

Shops

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate (a) the number of independent shops in England and (b) how many such shops have closed in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon: There is no agreed definition of "independent". However, on 23 April 2013 the Office for National Statistics published figures on their website showing the total number of births, deaths and active enterprises in England in the retail sector by employment size band, sole proprietor and partnerships only, (excluding motor vehicles and motor cycles) from 2007 to 2011. This information is summarised as follows:
	
		
			 Births, death and number of active sole proprietors and partnerships in the retail sector, 2007-11 
			  Active Births Deaths 
			 2011 88, 820 7,305 8,915 
			 2010 92,660 7,565 8,755 
			 2009 96,860 7,920 11,555 
			 2008 102,215 8,825 11,835 
			 2007 108, 975 10,150 11,870

Street Trading

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of compliance with the European Services Directive on street trading and pedlary on existing legitimate market traders.

Jo Swinson: This Department has recently consulted on proposals for reform of the street trading and pedlary regimes to ensure compliance with the European Services Directive.
	The responses to the consultation are being analysed and the Government's response will include an assessment of the impact of any changes on existing legitimate street traders.

Street Trading

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what resources his Department plans to allocate to enforcing new laws on street trading and pedlary.

Jo Swinson: This Department has recently consulted on changes to the street trading regime to comply with the European Services Directive.
	We are currently analysing the responses so are unable to say at this time what necessary resources, if any, will be allocated to enforce new laws on street trading and pedlary.
	A Government response will be issued in the summer.

Street Trading

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what advice his Department has provided to police forces who wish to update their application process for pedlars' certificates.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has recently consulted on a proposal to repeal the Pedlars Acts to ensure compliance with the European Services Directive. A small number of UK police forces have responded to the consultation.
	We are currently analysing the responses and will issue a Government response in due course. BIS has therefore not provided any advice to police forces.

Street Trading

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of applications for pedlars' certificates were refused by each police force in England and Wales in each year from 2000 to 2012;
	(2)  what reasons were recorded for the refusal of an application for a pedlar's certificate by each police force in England and Wales in each year from 2008 to 2012.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has recently consulted on the repeal of the Pedlars Acts to ensure compliance with the European Services Directive. A small number of UK police forces responded to the consultation.
	Unfortunately, BIS does not have the requested information and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Street Trading

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to publish his Department's response to its recent consultation on street trading and pedlary laws.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is currently analysing the responses to the consultation and intends to publish the Government's response in the summer.

Timber: Russia

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the level of wood chip imports for use in the energy sector was from Russia in 2012.

Michael Fallon: Data on wood chip imports (values and quantities) are published by HM Revenue and Customs on their website:
	www.uktradeinfo.com
	In 2012, the UK imported a total of £76,000 of wood chips (SITC 246) from Russia, weighing around 500 tonnes.

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the capacity of UK Trade and Investment to respond efficiently to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) on progress made to assist small business company leads that FSB sends them.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has the capacity to respond efficiently to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) on progress made to assist small company leads. Owing to an oversight, the leads provided to UKTI following the FSB’s survey last autumn were not sent to UKTI’s regional trade teams. That information has now been circulated and the regional trade teams will be following up with the companies which expressed an interest in being contacted by UKTI.

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to commission an assessment of the efficiency of UK Trade and Investment by an independent auditor making professional recommendations.

Michael Fallon: The efficiency and effectiveness of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is already subject to routine independent assessment by the National Audit Office, who also completed a full value for money study of UKTI export services in 2009. The full report is available at the following link.
	http://www.nao.org.uk/press-releases/uk-trade-investment-trade-support-2/

UK Trade and Investment

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK Trade and Investment staff are tasked with specifically supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.

Michael Fallon: 90% of the businesses using UK Trade and Investment’s (UKTI) trade services are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs): all of UKTI’s front-line staff are tasked with supporting these firms.

University Technical Colleges: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons the recent bid for a university technical college in Peterborough was not successful; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Education.
	The University Technical College (UTC) application round was a competitive process. The proposal to establish a UTC in Peterborough was not as strong as other applications, particularly on its education vision, its education plan, and evidence of demand and marketing.
	The Peterborough applicants may wish to apply again, and the Department has already announced its commitment to invite further applications for UTCs in due course. An outline of the plans for the next round and a timetable is now available on the Department's website. The How To Apply guidance and application form are expected to be released in May, with, a deadline of applications to be sent to the Department in September.

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Exports

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons his Department is allowing the export of components for the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle by Ultra Electronics without an export licence.

Michael Fallon: An export licence is required where an item is subject to strategic export controls. The controls apply to items listed in a “control list” (primarily the "UK Military List" or the "EU Dual-Use List"); where export of that item to a particular country is restricted or prohibited by sanctions in place against that country; or, where export of that item is subject to an “End-Use Control” (these apply to items which are not on any control list but where there are concerns that the items may be intended for use in connection with a Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) programme, or for a military end-use in a country subject to an arms embargo).
	Items that do not fall within any of the above categories are not subject to strategic export control and therefore do not require an export licence, regardless of the ultimate destination or end-use of the item.

Vocational Training

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what funding his Department intends to provide for the delivery of traineeships in the 2013-14 academic year;
	(2)  how many traineeship places will be available to people aged (a) 16 to 18 and (b) 19 to 24 in the 2013-14 academic year.

Matthew Hancock: In the discussion paper that we published in January, we set out our intention that traineeships for eligible 19 to 24-year-olds would be funded using the Adult Skills Budget.
	It is our intention that Traineeships will be a demand-led programme. Therefore the number of places funded would reflect the number of employers and education and training providers who choose to offer a place and the number of eligible young people who wish to take one.
	We received an excellent response to our discussion paper with over 450 responses from employers, providers and other organisations. We are continuing to work through the final details of the traineeships programme and will publish further information shortly.

Vocational Training

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what qualifications individuals will receive at the completion of their traineeship study programme.

Matthew Hancock: In the discussion paper which we published in January, we set out our intention that as part of a traineeship, young people would study English and maths where they have not yet achieved GCSE A*-C. We also proposed that education and training providers and employers would have the flexibility to include other relevant education or training, leading to the achievement of academic or vocational qualifications where that helps young people to move successfully into apprenticeships or other work.
	The aim of a traineeship would be to support young people to get the practical skills and experience they need to secure an apprenticeship or sustainable job as quickly as possible.
	We received an excellent response to our discussion paper with over 450 responses from employers, providers and other organisations. We are continuing to work through the final details of the traineeships programme and will publish further information shortly.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bangladesh

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Bangladesh on recent attacks on ethnic minorities by Islamic extremists in that country.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned about the recent violence and deaths in Bangladesh, many as a result of force by law enforcement agencies. The promotion of human rights is at the very heart of this Government's foreign policy. We strongly condemn any instances of violence and discrimination against individuals or groups. We continue to raise our concerns over attacks on minorities. The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend, Baroness Warsi, raised these issues directly with the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, during her visit to Bangladesh in February.
	Our high commissioner in Dhaka also called for the Bangladesh Government to ensure a transparent investigation into the violence is conducted in a meeting with the Dr Dipu Moni, on 7 March. On 13 March Baroness Warsi issued a statement expressing the UK's concerns and urged all sides to exercise restraint, moderation and respect for rule of law.
	The British Government respects the right for all citizens to hold their government to account including through legitimate and peaceful protests. But, as Baroness Warsi said during her visit to Bangladeshi in February, we are clear that violence and vandalism have no place in legitimate protests. The economic and social cost of strikes and other forms of disruption is damaging to individuals, business, and the nation. We hope therefore that parties can resolve differences through dialogue and discussion, and that citizens are able to freely raise their concerns or grievances through peaceful means, without fear of retaliation or attack.

British Nationals Abroad: Death

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many bodies of UK nationals killed or murdered abroad were repatriated to the UK in the last year; and from which countries they were repatriated.

Mark Simmonds: Although the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides a range of support in the cases of UK nationals killed or murdered abroad, information on the nature of the assistance we provide is not recorded in a way that can be easily searched. In the last year (April 2012 to March 2013) the FCO recorded 3,391 deaths that were not natural or suicides. To provide more information on the nature of the assistance provided in all these cases, including those which have involved repatriation, would involve a disproportionate cost.

British Nationals Abroad: Death

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals were victims of (a) murder and (b) manslaughter overseas in each of the last five years; and from which countries UK nationals killed abroad were repatriated in each such year.

Mark Simmonds: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold information on the total number of UK nationals who are victims of murder and manslaughter overseas, because we can only capture information about those cases that come to our attention.
	The FCO has provided assistance to the following number of murder and manslaughter cases in each of the last five years:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2008-09 65 
			 2009-10 58 
			 2010-11 62 
			 2011-12 67 
			 2012-13(1) 60 
			 (1) Up to and including February 2013 
		
	
	To provide more information on the nature of the assistance provided in these cases, including those which have involved repatriation, would involve a disproportionate cost. This is due to the way information is held on our databases.

British Nationals Abroad: Death

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether public financial support has been given to families of British nationals killed abroad in order to repatriate their bodies to the UK in the last 12 months.

Mark Simmonds: In the last 12 months, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not provided any financial support directly to families of British nationals killed abroad in order to repatriate their bodies to the UK.
	The FCO's policy on repatriation is that we do not pay for this service. This is stated in our public guide. Support for British Nationals Abroad.
	The FCO does however provide partial funding to specialist external partners for a range of services which we cannot provide. Some of these partners can pay for repatriation. For example, our partner Victim Support Scotland paid £3000 for the repatriation of a British national during this period.

British Nationals Abroad: Death

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many foreign nationals killed in the UK were repatriated in each of the last five years; and at what cost to the public purse.

Mark Simmonds: As this question concerns foreign nationals killed in the UK, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office docs not hold this information.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 comprehensive spending review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

David Lidington: It is not possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Iraq on its policy of group executions; and whether he has drawn to the attention of that government the UK policy of opposing judicial executions.

Alistair Burt: The Government is deeply concerned by Iraq's continued application of the death penalty, including public group executions, and we have made a number of representations to the Government of Iraq about this. The UK joined an EU demarche to the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad on 27 September 2012, and co-sponsored an event in Baghdad to mark World Day Against the Death Penalty in October 2012. In April 2013, our Ambassador to Iraq joined other EU Heads of Mission as a signatory to an article expressing concern at Iraq's use of the death penalty, which called on the Government of Iraq to introduce a moratorium on the use of the death penalty. The conclusions of the EU Foreign Affairs Council of 22 April also call on the Government of Iraq to introduce a moratorium on the use of the death penalty.

Nigeria

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the extent of violence towards Christians in Nigeria.

Mark Simmonds: We remain deeply concerned by attacks carried out by violent extremists that have caused suffering in communities of all faiths and ethnicities, especially in northern and north eastern Nigeria.
	The UK, through the British high commission in Abuja and DFID, continues to work with the Nigerian Government on building its capacity in counter terrorism as well as to support inter-faith dialogue.

Palestinians

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Government of Israel on securing water supplies to Gaza.

Alistair Burt: We are concerned about the access to water for Palestinians in the west bank and particularly Gaza, where 90% of drinking water does not meet international standards. We are also concerned about the depletion of the coastal aquifer. The Government’s position was set out by the spokesperson for International Development, the noble Baroness Lady Northover in a debate on this issue in the other place on 3 July 2012, Official Report, columns 644-57.
	The UK regularly discusses issues of water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, including stressing the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current unacceptable situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the west bank and Gaza.
	The fair and effective distribution of shared water resources across the middle east is of great concern to us. These resources are limited and therefore require the effective co-operation from all parties to manage them in such a manner that ensures there will be enough for all.
	Although this issue transcends the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is essential that Israel and the Palestinians discuss this issue and ensure that there is a just solution on shared water resources as part of any final status agreement.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non- departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

David Lidington: Information relating to assets and liabilities held by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its non-departmental public bodies is a matter of public record, and appears in the FCO's annual report and accounts. A consolidated Statement of the FCO's Financial Position as at 31 March 2012, including details of assets held for sale, can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32880/annual-report-accounts-2011-12.pdf

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish details of all (a) his Department's and (b) its non-departmental public bodies' existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

David Lidington: This information is not held centrally and it would incur disproportionate costs to obtain. However, links to our contract data base can be found on the following website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-office/series/what-we-spend-and-how-we-spend-it

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals his Department engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting.

David Lidington: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers and officials engage with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. The FCO is engaging with independent experts including think tanks and academics.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many members of his Department's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and at what cost to the public purse.

David Lidington: Work on the Scotland analysis programme is being carried out across Government by officials in relevant areas. There is a small team in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) which works on devolution-related issues, including the FCO's contribution to the programme. The cost of carrying out the work is being funded from existing departmental budgets in the normal way.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he or his officials have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting.

David Lidington: There have been no such meetings.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, together with the Office of the Advocate-General and Cabinet Office, commissioned work from independent legal experts, Professors James Crawford and Alan Boyle. The opinion of Professors Crawford and Boyle on the international law aspects of the debate on Scottish independence was subsequently published in annex A to the first paper in this series and can be found here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scotland-analysis-devolution-and-the-implications-of-scottish-independence
	It is not standard practice to disclose the cost of any legal advice obtained.

South Sudan

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will request that the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei investigates reported shootings in Abyei, South Sudan, on 16 April 2013 and 20 April 2013, and establishes the identities and affiliations of those responsible.

Mark Simmonds: We are aware of allegations of two shootings in Abyei in recent days. We have passed these on to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and UNISFA, both in New York and locally, and are awaiting further information. We would expect the results of any investigation to be covered in reporting to the UN Security Council.
	We have consistently called on the Sudanese Government to withdraw security forces from Diffra in accordance with UN Resolution 2046.

South Sudan

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of shootings in Abyei, South Sudan, on 16 April 2013 and 20 April 2013.

Mark Simmonds: We are aware of allegations of two shootings in Abyei in recent days. We have passed these on to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and UNISFA, both in New York and locally, and are awaiting further information. We would expect the results of any investigation to be covered in reporting to the UN Security Council.
	We have consistently called on the Sudanese Government to withdraw security forces from Diffra in accordance with UN resolution 2046.

South Sudan

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to UN Resolution 2046 (2012), what steps he is taking to encourage the Sudan armed forces to leave Diffra in the Abyei area of South Sudan.

Mark Simmonds: We are aware of allegations of two shootings in Abyei in recent days. We have passed these on to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and UNISFA, both in New York and locally, and are awaiting further information. We would expect the results of any investigation to be covered in reporting to the UN Security Council.
	We have consistently called on the Sudanese Government to withdraw security forces from Diffra in accordance with UN Resolution 2046.

Sudan

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the UNAMID fulfils its mandate actively to protect civilians in Darfur.

Mark Simmonds: As acknowledged in a report of 10 April to the UN Security Council by the UN Secretary-General, the UN Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID) could be more effective in carrying out its mandate to protect civilians. Last year's United Nations review of uniformed personnel was timely and welcome, highlighting the changing nature of the conflict in Darfur and outlining a series of recommendations to ensure a more effective and efficient use of uniformed resources to better meet the mission's mandate. A review of civilian personnel is ongoing. We are encouraging the implementation of recommendations from both reviews and will continue to support UNAMID, including through helping troop contributing countries to prepare better to carry out the mission's protection of civilian mandate. Officials have discussed the effectiveness of the mission on a number of occasions over the past few months with the newly appointed Joint Special Representative Mohamed Ibn Chambas. The restrictions on movement imposed by the Government of Sudan are also a significant challenge to the mission's ability to fulfil its mandate, an issue we raise regularly in Security Council consultations as well as with the Government of Sudan. The primary responsibility for protecting civilians remains with the Government of Sudan.

Sudan and South Sudan

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the situation of Christians in Sudan and South Sudan.

Mark Simmonds: The constitution of Sudan provides protection for the rights of different religions, but the freedom of worship for Christians has come under pressure since the secession of South Sudan. We have received an increased number of reports in recent months of intimidation and threats to Christians and to church premises both from other groups and from parts of the Sudanese security services. We are aware of reports that the Sudanese Government will no longer grant licenses for building new churches. We are concerned by recent instances of non-Sudanese Christians being asked to leave the country without justification. We have also received reports of churches being deliberately targeted in the conflicts in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states, but have not been able to verify these reports.
	Embassy Officials in Khartoum, together with European Union colleagues, have met members of the Sudanese Government to raise our concerns, including in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Religious Guidance and Endowments. In particular we have urged them to investigate attacks on Christian individuals and property. We will continue to remind the Government of Sudan of their obligation to respect freedom of religion. I also met recently with Archbishop Daniel Deng Bui of the Episcopal Church of Sudan and South Sudan to discuss these issues.
	We have not received any information to give us cause for concern about the treatment of Christians in South Sudan.

Tibet

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with international organisations about the situation in Tibet.

Hugo Swire: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr Bone) of 18 March 2013, Official Report, column 473W, and my answer to the hon. Member for Bristol East (Kerry McCarthy) of 18 April 2013, Official Report, column 504W.
	We continue to work closely with our international partners and multilateral organisations to promote the rights of Tibetan communities, and to encourage the resumption of meaningful dialogue, which we view as the best way of resolving continued tensions in Tibet. We raised Tibet through the EU at the UN Human Rights Council in September 2012. I also issued a statement on 17 December alongside the US, the EU and Canada, which set out our concerns.

Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies travelled on (i) domestic and (ii) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year;
	(2)  how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies stayed in hotels in (i) the UK and (ii) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

Alistair Burt: Value for money is the top priority in our travel and accommodation arrangements. We are committed to ensuring that travel is as cost-effective as possible, particularly in the current climate of reducing departmental budgets. We are continually looking for ways to get better value out of our spend on travel in the context of wider work on reducing overheads and resources devoted to corporate services.
	We encourage secure videoconferencing around the FCO network in a further effort to reduce the number of flights needed. However, face to face meetings are a vital part of diplomatic work and this necessarily involves travel. Senior civil servants are expected to undertake a heavy work load of travel to help promote UK interests throughout the world. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office cannot achieve its objectives without overseas travel.
	We do not hold the information in the format requested and it would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	The following costs are for air, rail and hotel bookings combined made through the FCO travel management company (Hogg Robinson Group plc) and do not include all bookings made through local travel agencies, which would be available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 International travel and hotel costs 
			  £ 
			 2008-09 13,234,115 
			 2009-10 12,544,311 
			 2010-11 9,042,977 
			 2011-12 10,391,602 
			 2012-13 13,241,662 
		
	
	
		
			 Domestic travel and hotel costs 
			  £ 
			 2011-12 1,013,389 
			 2012-13 1,355,635 
		
	
	Since 2011, the FCO has used a single supplier for all domestic travel. Prior to this, officers purchased tickets from their own funds or using their corporate credit cards and were reimbursed for actual costs.
	Much of this data is already published and available through the Government procurement card data which can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-procurement-card-data
	As part of its commitment to openness, the FCO also publishes the business expenses and hospitality of its senior London-based staff. These include travel costs, and are subject to detailed Cabinet Office and internal guidance and regular audit. Details can be found at
	http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fco-senior-staff-expenses-and-hospitality
	The FCO does not hold data for non-departmental public bodies. We have received the following responses:
	Due to the way their costs are recorded, the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, the Foreign Compensation Commission and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy are not able to provide these details without disproportionate costs.
	Wilton Park were able to provide an overall cost for air, rail and hotel bookings:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2008-09 55,000 
			 2009-10 45,404 
			 2010-11 57,554 
			 2011-12 38,671 
			 2012-13 52,600 
		
	
	The Great Britain China Centre provided the following figures:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009 1,072 
			 2012-13 572 
		
	
	FCO Services were able to provide the following breakdowns:
	
		
			 Domestic travel 
			  £ 
			 2008-09 7,038 
			 2009-10 2,051 
			 2010-11 900 
			 2011-12 1,738 
			 2012-13 1,830 
		
	
	
		
			 International travel 
			  £ 
			 2008-09 4,160,968 
			 2009-10 4,897,409 
			 2010-11 2,995,911 
			 2011-12 3,090,191 
			 2012-13 3,599,358 
		
	
	I will write to my hon. Friend when the data is available for British Council and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Air Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies travelled on (i) domestic and (ii) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year.

Gregory Barker: The Department and its NDPBs are unable to identify the number of officials travelling, split between international and domestic flights and according to class of flight, without incurring the disproportionate cost of retrieving and scrutinising individual invoices from our travel management company. We are not, therefore, able to identify the 20 most expensive individual flights within the cost limit. The tables show total expenditure on flights, split between international and domestic and, where available, by class of flight since DECC was established in October 2008.
	Not all NDPBs are able to provide information for earlier years or to distinguish between domestic and internal flights without incurring disproportionate costs. The tables therefore show a total for NDPBs and indicates which NDPBs are included.
	
		
			 Core DECC domestic air travel 
			 £000 
			  Air tickets 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Economy Class n/a n/a 94 121 286 
			 Premium Economy n/a n/a 2 0 0 
			 Business Class n/a n/a 1 8 0 
			 First n/a n/a 0 0 0 
			 Unknown/Other n/a n/a 0 0 0 
			 Total n/a 93 97 129 286 
		
	
	
		
			 Core DECC international air travel 
			 £000 
			  Air tickets 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Economy Class n/a n/a 196 295 254 
			 Premium Economy n/a n/a 63 44 36 
			 Business Class n/a n/a 302 215 167 
		
	
	
		
			 First n/a n/a 0 1 0.3 
			 Unknown/Other n/a n/a 0 0 0 
			 Total n/a 234 561 555 457 
		
	
	
		
			 NDPBs Air Travel 
			 £000 
			  Air tickets 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Total domestic and international (1)9 (1)11 373 399 462 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) For NDPBs the 2008-09 and2009-l0 represents data from only the Coal Authority, for the remaining years it represents data from all of the NDPBs

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Gregory Barker: Details of the assets and liabilities of the Department and its non-departmental public bodies are published in their respective annual reports and accounts, in the statement of financial position and associated notes. No significant assets are currently scheduled for disposal.
	For 2011-12, the annual reports and accounts are available online at:
	DECC
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-2011-to-2012--2
	Civil Nuclear Police Authority
	http://www.cnpa.police.uk/publications
	Coal Authority
	http://coal.decc.gov.uk/en/coal/cms/publications/annual_report/annual_report.aspx
	Committee on Climate Change
	http://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/annual-report-and-accounts-2011-2012/
	Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
	http://www.nda.gov.uk/documents/upload/Annual-Report-and-Accounts-2011-2012.pdf
	For 2012-13, it is expected that annual reports and accounts will be laid before Parliament before the summer recess.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b)  the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

Gregory Barker: Information on the Department of Energy and Climate Change's departmental expenditure for the current spending review period has previously been published as part of the Department's Business Plan and is available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/47961/decc-business-plan-2011-2015.pdf
	Copies of this business plan have also been placed in the Library. The plan includes links to DECC datasets and impact indicators, as well as details regarding the cost-effectiveness of the Department's policies and the value for money that this represents to the public. More detailed information on the value for money of individual policies and programmes is available through published impact assessments.

Energy Companies Obligation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which companies have secured contracts through the Energy Companies Obligation to date; and what the value is of each contract.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 22 April 2013
	How energy companies deliver their obligations under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is, within the rules of the scheme, a matter for them. The companies are not required to provide information on who they contract with or the value of any such contracts—this is commercially confidential—and therefore DECC does not hold this information.

Energy Companies Obligation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the average dual fuel bill that will go towards the cost of the Energy Companies Obligation.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 22 April 2013
	On 27 March 2013, DECC published an updated assessment of the average impact of energy and climate change policies on household and business energy bills, which is available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-impacts-of-energy-and-climate-change-policies-on-energy-prices-and-bills
	Annex D shows that the estimated cost of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) accounts for 4% (or £47) of the dual fuel bill in 2013(1). This figure does not include the potential bill savings to households from the installation of energy efficiency measures as a result of ECO.
	(1 )This includes the administration cost of the Green Deal.

Energy: Meters

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made on the use of mobile and wireless communication for smart meter transmissions; and what consideration he has given to the provision of such a service in rural areas.

Michael Fallon: The Government will finalise the procurement of the communications service providers for the smart metering roll-out later this year. That process will determine which communications technologies will be used. The prospective providers are proposing multiple technologies to provide connectivity to smart meters, and these technologies are being specifically evaluated on their ability to provide coverage across all areas of Great Britain, including rural locations. Regardless of the technology, the providers will be asked to commit to eventual coverage levels of at least 97.5% of properties, and the Government's ambition remains for all electricity and gas consumers to have smart meters capable of operating in smart mode.

Energy: Prices

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the wholesale price uplift caused by the carbon floor price benefiting renewables has been included in his Department's recent Estimated Impacts of Energy and Climate Change Policies on Energy Prices and Bills (2013).

Michael Fallon: The impact of the Carbon Price Floor (CPF) is included in DECC's analysis on the Estimated Impacts of Energy and Climate Change Policies on Energy Prices and Bills and set out in Annexes D to F of the report. For example, in 2013 the CPF is estimated to add around £1 per megawatt hour to electricity prices (in real 2012 prices).

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the Contract for Difference being negotiated for the strike price with EDF for its proposed Hinkley Point C nuclear plant will include provisions to cover (a) a requirement on EDF to provide back-up alternative power sources in the event of the Hinkley plant having to close down for an extensive period due to safety concerns and (b) construction cost overruns.

Michael Fallon: The negotiations are ongoing and being conducted on a commercially confidential basis with the aim of reaching a fair, affordable and value for money agreement. I am unable to comment on specific terms under discussion whilst the negotiations are still ongoing. The terms of an investment contract, if agreed, will be published and laid before Parliament.

Non-Fossil Fuel Purchasing Agency

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effect on electricity supply market plurality following the closure of the Non-Fossil Purchasing Agency by 2018.

Michael Fallon: The Non-Fossil Purchasing Agency (NFPA) is an arm’s length company set up by industry to meet the obligations set out under the non-fossil fuel orders (NFFOs). The last of the contracts under these obligations will end in 2018. The NFPA runs auctions for the power under these contracts and many smaller suppliers participate in these auctions. The NFPA could continue to operate if there is sufficient demand for the service they offer—this will be a commercial decision for the NFPA. Suppliers have a number of alternative routes to market and Ofgem has brought forward proposals to improve wholesale market liquidity, which are expected to enhance trading opportunities and competition.
	The Government is proposing to take powers in the Energy Bill to enable the Government to take action to improve the liquidity of the electricity market (a key barrier to entry for small suppliers), should it prove necessary.

Official Hospitality

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible claimed reimbursements for working lunches and official entertainment in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was in each such year.

Gregory Barker: The Department's ability to identify expenditure on working lunches depends on individuals providing an accurate description of the expense. From our search we have identified the following expenditure on working lunches. Further expenditure may have been incurred but it would incur disproportionate costs to locate and scrutinise documentation to support all of the transactions recorded under related expenditure areas. It has not been possible to provide the requested information from all of DECC's non-departmental public bodies (the Committee on Climate Change, Civil Nuclear Police Authority, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the Coal Authority) without incurring disproportionate costs.
	We interpret “entertainment” to relate to the provision of food, drink or amusement outside of the work environment (which includes conferences and away days). Any such expenditure must be justifiable in terms of a direct Government interest in promoting the Department. It must also be appropriate and at a reasonable level of expenditure. We are unable to specifically identify such expenditure from among wider catering costs for meetings and events without incurring disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  Working lunch (£000) 
			 Core-DECC  
			 2008-09 0.3 
			 2009-10 0.4 
			 2010-11 0.1 
			 2011-12 1.4 
			 2012-13 10.0 
			   
			 NDPB (Coal Authority)  
			 2008-09 n/a 
			 2009-10 n/a 
			 2010-11 n/a 
			 2011-12 n/a 
			 2012-13 n/a

Plutonium

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to his Department's written ministerial statement of 23 April 2013 on the management of overseas owned plutonium in the UK, what estimate he has made of the additional cost of storing 750 kgs of formerly German-owned plutonium, 350 kgs formerly owned by a Dutch utility and 1850 kgs of plutonium formerly allocated to France; for what extra period he envisages this plutonium will now be stored under the new arrangement; what the cost was of securing this plutonium from the three respective countries; and if he will (a) place in the Library and (b) publish on his departmental website the correspondence between interested parties that took place to secure the swapping arrangement referred to in the statement.

Michael Fallon: The financial aspects of these swaps and transfers and the correspondence between the NDA and its customers are commercially confidential. We will only take ownership to plutonium belonging to an overseas customer if it can be shown through assurance measures that there is an overall benefit to the UK in doing so. In this case the cost of managing the plutonium in the UK was a factor reflected in that process.
	This additional plutonium will be stored in the UK along with the UK's existing plutonium until a final decision has been made about its future management. In respect of this decision, the UK Government has concluded that for nuclear security reasons the preferred policy for managing the vast majority of UK civil separated plutonium is reuse and it should therefore be converted to a form of nuclear fuel, called MOX, for use in civil nuclear reactors. While the UK Government believes that it has sufficient information to set out this policy direction, it is not yet sufficient to make a specific decision whether to proceed with procuring a new MOX fabrication plant. The UK Government is currently undertaking work, including the publication shortly of our response to the consultation on the proposed justification process for the reuse of plutonium, which will provide the information necessary to make such a decision.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will publish details of all (a) his Department’s and (b) its non-departmental public bodies’ existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Gregory Barker: The information requested is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Contracts of the Department are published on the Cabinet Office website which is available at:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
	The Department would be able to provide further contract information by narrowing the scope, if specific procurement projects were identified.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Gregory Barker: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), has taken the following steps to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. The Cabinet Office has circulated across Government a procurement policy note which has been circulated to all procurement staff to make them aware of the Public Services Act 2012. The Department takes part in across government discussions with the Procurement Knowledge Network spreading awareness and discussion of implementation of the Act with staff. The Department’s procurement and legal team have discussed the Public Services Act 2012 and implications for policy teams.

Radioactive Waste

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which local authorities other than Cumbria county council, Allerdale district council and Copeland district council have expressed an interest in offering potential sites for a geological disposal facility for radioactive waste under the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely programme.

Michael Fallon: No other local authorities have made a formal expression of interest in participating in the site selection process for a geological disposal facility. Since Cumbria county council's decision in January to end west Cumbria's involvement in the process, the Government has been reflecting on the experience of the process there on the lessons learned. Government remains committed to the policy of geological disposal; no changes to the current approach to site selection will be introduced without further consultation.
	The invitation remains open for communities to express an interest, without commitment, in the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely programme.

Renewable Energy

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average waiting time is for a response to complaints regarding the Microrenewables Certification Scheme.

Gregory Barker: Under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) complaints will be related to product performance, installation or mis-selling. In general the MCS complaints process requires complaints to be acknowledged within seven working days of receipt or 24 hours where consumers do not have an operational heating system.
	For the period 1 August 2012 to 12 April 2013 the MCS Licensee received 211 complaints relating to technical issues and the REAL Consumer Code received 1224 complaints in 2012 relating to mis-selling. Some complaints go to both REAL and MCS and in some cases complaints are handled by Certification Bodies. On average it takes 10 weeks to resolve a complaint.

Renewable Energy

Gregg McClymont: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much financial support his Department provided to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme in each financial year since 2008.

Gregory Barker: The MCS has operated on a self-financing basis without Government funding since October 2008. The Building Research Establishment (BRE) was awarded a contract in September 2006 to develop the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS), after a competitive tendering process. The BRE contract value was £243,800 and it ran to September 2008. To support development of the microgeneration industry and the MCS scheme, the Government also paid £900 towards the first year certification costs for each installation company.

Renewables Obligation

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the removal of the renewable obligation and its effect on access-to-market issues for independent low carbon generators; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Government has been engaging with independent developers to understand any access to market issues they face. Some developers are concerned that the market has shifted in recent years and that generators are finding it harder to secure long-term power purchase agreements on terms as beneficial as they used to be. Others have expressed concern about the removal of the renewables obligation.
	The new support mechanism for low-carbon generation, Contracts for Difference, will improve conditions in the market for power purchase agreements by removing price risk. The end of the renewables obligation will further simplify procedure for renewable developers, as they will no longer need to market their certificates.
	In addition, the Government has set up a process to ensure that independent renewable generators are prepared for the introduction of the Contract for Difference mechanism. This involves working with developers to create sample power purchase agreements compatible with the new regulations and a voluntary code of practice which will help guide the market. Ofgem have also brought forward proposals to improve liquidity in the market. Government is considering whether further steps may be necessary—this includes consideration of the proposal for a Green Power Auction Market.

Wind Power

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department keeps central records of complaints about (a) audible and (b) sub-sonic low frequency noise from onshore wind turbines in the UK.

Michael Fallon: DECC does not keep a record of noise complaints about onshore wind turbines. Noise disturbance is a matter for local authorities.

Wind Power

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department assesses the energy output performance of onshore wind turbines in the UK.

Michael Fallon: The energy output performance of onshore wind turbines can be measured in terms of annual generation and load factors. Aggregated information for the onshore wind sector can be found in tables 6.4 and 6.5 of the Digest of UK Energy Statistics. This is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/renewable-sources-of-energy-chapter-6-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes

Wind Power

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has assessed the average lifespan of onshore wind turbines in the UK.

Michael Fallon: DECC engages in rigorous evidence-gathering exercises, supported by National Grid and economics consultancies, to acquire data on the costs and revenue of onshore wind and other renewable technologies. Where appropriate, this includes data on the life expectancy of wind turbines.

Wind Power

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information he holds on recent trends in the price of wind turbines. [R]

Michael Fallon: We do not gather specific data on the costs of wind turbines. DECC undertakes a range of activities to maintain an up-to-date evidence base on the costs of renewable energy technologies. For example, the Renewables Obligations Banding Review and Onshore Wind Call for Evidence have both gathered information on the costs of onshore wind, including the capital costs.
	The Onshore Wind Call for Evidence will report in the summer. The Banding Review documents are all available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/supporting-large-scale-renewable-electricity-generation

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the proportion of renewable energy to be made up by offshore wind turbines over the next 10 years.

Michael Fallon: The deployment of offshore wind over the next 10 years will depend upon which projects are taken forward by developers. The costs of offshore wind, and the strike prices are set under the electricity market reform.
	The Department will publish a number of scenarios in July 2013, as part of the Delivery Plan for Contracts for Difference.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the (a) level of carbon emissions resulting from the construction of each offshore wind turbine, (b) total amount of energy produced by such turbines annually and (c) total amount of energy produced over their predicted lifetimes.

Michael Fallon: No estimate has been made of the levels of carbon emissions from the construction of an individual offshore wind turbine.
	The total generation for all renewables developments is published annually in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics (DUKES):
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/65850/5956-dukes-2012-chapter-6-renewable.pdf
	For the five year period 2007 to 2011 the electricity generated from all offshore wind developments was:
	
		
			  GMh 
			 2007 783 
			 2008 1,305 
			 2009 1,740 
			 2010 3,044 
			 2011 5,126 
		
	
	We do not calculate the energy produced by individual wind turbines as lifetime energy produced will depend on a number of factors including the MW capacity of the turbine and the specific wind speed within the wind farm.

TRANSPORT

UN Decade of Action for Road Safety

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to support the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.

Stephen Hammond: The Government’s contribution to the UN Decade for Action is set out in our Strategic Framework for Road Safety. We are tackling road safety by improving enforcement of drug driving and careless driving; launching a new motorcycle safety campaign; and bringing forward proposals for improved young driver safety.
	As part of the UN’s Road Safety Week in May, the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin) is speaking at a PACTS event on pedestrian safety.

Station Accessibility

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress he has made on improving station accessibility for disabled and infirm people.

Norman Baker: Under the Access for All programme 99 stations have received an accessible route since 2006 out of 155 projects due to be completed by 31 March 2015. More than 1,000 stations have also received more minor access improvements under the programme. A further £100 million has been made available to extend the programme until 2019.
	This is in addition to access improvements being delivered by other major projects or by train operators and local authorities.

East Coast Main Line: Premium Payments

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much in premium payments has been paid to the Government by National Express and Directly Operated Rail as a result of operating East Coast Main Line rail services since 2007.

Patrick McLoughlin: The premium payments are as follows:
	
		
			 National Express East Coast 
			  £ million 
			 2007-08 32 
			 2008-09 185 
			 2009-10 145 
			 2010-11 8 
		
	
	
		
			 Directly Operated Railways 
			  £ million 
			 2009-10 46 
			 2010-11 177 
			 2011-12 188 
			 2012-13 191

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Norman Baker: Information about assets and liabilities is available in the published Departmental Accounts 2011-12 (see link below). The Consolidated Statement of Financial Position provides the details of the assets by Core Department and the Agencies.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-transport-annual-report-and-accounts

Aviation

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with (a) airport operators and (b) airline carriers on the holding of the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland in June 2013.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin) has not been involved in discussions with airport operators or airline carriers over the planning for the forthcoming G8 summit. Planning for the summit has been led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, who have engaged with Belfast International airport, Enniskillen airport and other interested stakeholders.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending; (153619)
	(2)  if he will publish details of all (a) his Department's and (b) its non-departmental public bodies' existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Norman Baker: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Motor Vehicles: Insurance

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings Ministers and officials in his Department had where matters relating to credit hire and high insurance premiums were discussed prior to the initiation on 28 November 2012 of the investigation by the Competition Commission of its investigation of the motor insurance market; and what the name is of each individual from (a) insurance companies and their representative bodies and (b) other insurance companies and representative bodies who were present at each such meeting.

Stephen Hammond: Ministers have held three meetings to discuss credit hire and insurance premiums prior to 28 November 2012. The Prime Minister and former Secretary of State for Transport met with representatives from major motor insurers on 14 February 2012 to discuss the cost of insurance. A follow up meeting chaired by the former Secretary of State took place on 2 May 2012. The list of attendees was the same for both meetings:
	ABI—Otto Thoresen and Nick Starling
	Admiral—David Stevens, CEO
	Aviva UK and Ireland—David McMillan, CEO
	Axa UK and Ireland—Paul Evans, CEO
	Co-operative Insurance—David Neave, Director of General Insurance
	RBS Insurance—Tom Woolgove, MD
	RSA—Adrian Brown, UK Chief Executive
	Zurich UK—Stephen Lewis, CEO
	Sabre and MIB—Keith Morris, Managing Director of Sabre and Chair of MIB
	British Insurance Brokers' Association—Graeme Trudgill
	Uswitch—Ann Robinson
	Which—Peter Vicary-Smith, Chief Executive
	Ministers also met with Tom Woolgove, MD of RBS Insurance in March 2012, and Otto Thoresen and Nick Starling from the ABI in November 2012. Insurance premiums were discussed at both meetings.
	Officials have met David Neave of Co-operative Insurance once concerning insurance premiums.

Motorcycles

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to incorporate motorcycling fully into general transport policy.

Stephen Hammond: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Wycombe (Steve Baker) on 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 593W.

Motorcycles: Driving Tests

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that the requirement for motorcycle riders to take more than one full motorcycle test to pass through rider licensing stages be replaced by a training requirement for licensing progression through each stage after an initial full motorcycle test; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The relative merits of the training and testing options for upgrading motorcycle riding entitlements were carefully considered during the consultation on the implementation of the 3(rd) Directive on Driver Licensing (Directive 2006/126/EC). In order to ensure adequate service provision, the Driving Standards Agency needed to offer the testing option. The costs associated with the introduction of a parallel training option would have made it unattractive to motorcycle trainers and their potential customers.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department has taken to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Norman Baker: Advice for commissioners and procurers on the Act has been issued to staff, and guidance on procurement and business cases has been updated to reflect the precepts of the Act.

Railways: Franchises

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rail franchises require the provision of wi-fi.

Simon Burns: Wi-fi was not specified when letting existing rail franchises, with the exception of the current Inter City West Coast contract. However, a number of train operators contract to do so, primarily those operating long distance train services.
	Government franchising policy, endorsed by Richard Brown in his recent review, published earlier this year, is to encourage franchise operators to provide services appropriate to the markets that they serve and not follow a prescriptive, Government specification.

Railways: Industrial Disputes

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2013, Official Report, column 457W, on railways: industrial disputes, which train operating companies have applied to his Department for compensation payments for loss of revenue during industrial disputes in each year since 2006-07; and on what date each such request was received.

Norman Baker: In the event of an industrial dispute in a franchised train operating company, the Department would expect to discuss the financial and other implications with the operator. Information on any such discussions is not centrally recorded and would in any case be commercially confidential, since it could prejudice the position of the Department or train operators in relation to the relevant or future industrial disputes. However, I am not aware of any specific applications having been made by operators since 2006-07 for compensation for lost revenue.

Railways: Kettering

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that when bridges over the mainline railway in Kettering are raised to accommodate electrification disruption to local residents and commerce is minimised.

Simon Burns: The delivery of the Government's electrification programme is led by Network Rail. I have asked them to work closely with the Highways Agency and local authorities to ensure that this vital work is planned and programmed so that disruption to passengers and local residents is minimised.

Redundancy Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible received payments under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last five years; and at what total cost in each such year.

Norman Baker: The number of staff who have left the Department for Transport under a voluntary exit in each of the last five years, together with associated costs, are set out in the following table. Where numbers are five or less, we have withheld the precise number on grounds of confidentiality.
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Organisation Number Costs (£) Number Costs (£) Number Costs (£) Number Costs (£) Number Costs (£) 
			 Department for Transport 0 0 0 0 185 13,427,732 94 4,256,418 <5 78,936 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Maritime and Coastguard Agency 72 3,241,975 0 0 6 129,650 0 0 27 725,984 
		
	
	
		
			 Government Car Service <5 36,000 36 1,574,000 37 1,341,000 30 594,000 89 3,525,000 
			 Highways Agency n/a n/a <5 354,336 99 4,269,985 <5 25,409 <5 27,536 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 0 0 143 8,916,703 87 3,730,544 36 803,104 0 0 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 37 894,000 31 2,595,000 50 5,184,000 0 0 n/a n/a 
			 Driving Standards Agency 0 0 0 0 <5 45,989 37 1,271,384 55 1,454,008 
		
	
	It is not possible to distinguish between voluntary and compulsory terms for the exits in the Highways Agency in 2008-09. The number of exits and costs for 2012-13 for the DVLA will be published in their annual report and accounts.
	The reform to the compensation scheme in 2010 has led to voluntary exit costs falling within the year of departure, whereas prior to 2010, costs could be incurred for up to 10 years.
	The Department’s non-departmental bodies who have had staff leave under a voluntary exit and associated costs, are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Organisation Number Costs (£) Number Costs (£) Number Costs (£) Number Costs (£) Number Costs (£) 
			 Passenger Focus — — — — — — 15 400,000 — — 
			 Northern Lighthouse Board — — — — — — <5 211,422 — — 
			 Trinity House <5 204,545 7 370,335 <5 29,886 <5 140,493 6 468,800

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work his Department is doing as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme.

Norman Baker: Work on the Scotland analysis programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. The Department is contributing to this. There is a small team in the Treasury co-ordinating the programme. The cost of carrying out the work is being funded from existing departmental budgets in the normal way.

Transport: Livestock

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Ports and Harbours Act 1847 to permit port authorities to use their discretion when permitting the export of live animals through their ports.

Stephen Hammond: The Government has no plans to revisit the Ports and Harbours Act 1847 with a view to amending it. The legislation enshrines the principle of the free movement of trade and the rights of importers/exporters to engage in legal trade activity without prejudice or hindrance. In common with all other EU member states, the UK is also bound by much more recently enacted EU directives which entrench this principle across the entire European Union. This was confirmed by two European Court of Justice cases as well as a number of High Court cases in the 1990s.

Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies travelled on (i) domestic and (ii) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year;
	(2)  how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies stayed in hotels in (i) the UK and (ii) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

Norman Baker: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, between 2009-10 and 2012-13, total expenditure on travel and subsistence for the central Department has fallen by 16%.

PRIME MINISTER

Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals No. 10 Downing Street engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such consultation;
	(2)  how many members of No. 10 Downing Street staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of this work;
	(3)  what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in No. 10 Downing Street have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting;
	(4)  what work No. 10 Downing Street has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and how much any such consultancy has cost.

David Cameron: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Air Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies travelled on (i) domestic and (ii) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year.

Mark Hoban: In line with the Government's austerity agenda, the Department for Work and Pensions has taken vigorous actions to enhance its business travel policy. The DWP's business travel policy actively discourages travel, unless the alternatives have been examined and exhausted and where travel is deemed appropriate, requires the use of the most cost effective modes of transport.
	The spend on air travel for DWP in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  UK International 
			 2008-09 2.96 0.55 
			 2009-10 2.44 0.41 
			 2010-11 1.00 0.17 
			 2011-12 0.73 0.12 
			 2012-13 0.83 0.13 
		
	
	The total spend for Health and Safety Executive, Independent Living Funds, National Employment Savings Trust, The Pensions Regulator, Pensions Ombudsman, Remploy is shown as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 1.28 
			 2009-10 1,36 
			 2010-11 1.48 
			 2011-12 1.41 
			 2012-13 1.36 
		
	
	The above NDPBs were unable to split the spend between UK and overseas without incurring disproportionate costs. The remaining departmental NDPBs were unable to provide the required data without incurring disproportionate costs.
	Business Travel Policy is designed to provide staff with the means to make informed decisions regarding the most appropriate form of travel based on factors such as cost and sustainability, rather than having a blanket policy.
	Also, in order to support the Government’s sustainability and carbon reduction agenda, DWP discourages the use of air travel. DWP policy states that staff must always consider travelling by rail rather than air.
	To facilitate further reductions in air travel, policy now restricts air travel for flights within the British Mainland to journeys of over 300 miles. Journeys under this limit require the use of an alternative mode of travel, to limit the Department’s carbon emissions.
	This information should also be viewed in the context of a Department employing around 100,000 staff.
	Providing the number of officials who travelled on domestic and international flights in each of the last five years as well as the monetary value of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Compensation Recovery Unit

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the potential sums formerly recoverable which the Compensation Recovery Unit will no longer be able to recover as a consequence of implementation of legislative changes contemplated in (a) the provisions of Clause 61 and (b) other provisions of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill.

Mark Hoban: In answer to part (a) of the question, because the number of cases affected is anticipated to be small and many claims are low in value, the impact on the amount of benefits that can be recovered is also expected to be limited. However, it is not possible to disaggregate the amount because the benefits paid that would be subject to recovery upon a compensation payment being made will depend upon the individual circumstances of the injured person.
	As regards (b) we do not anticipate there will be other impacts from the Bill on the potential sums recoverable by the Compensation Recovery Unit.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

Mark Hoban: The requested information is not available. As an alternative, the following information on productivity may be of interest:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-business-plan-transparency-measures/dwp-business-plan-transparency-measures#dwp-productivity"

Electronic Government

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Universal Jobmatch website cost his Department to establish; and what the expected annual continual administration and maintenance costs are of the website.

Mark Hoban: Universal Jobmatch website cost £14.89m to establish. This includes indicative decommissioning costs thus this figure is subject to change.
	The expected annual continual administration and maintenance cost is commercially sensitive.

Employment Schemes: Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland were involved in the Work Trials benefit scheme in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what the average number of working days worked was.

Mark Hoban: The number of starts on work trials, in Scotland, for the last five complete DWP operational years are:
	
		
			 Reporting year Starts 
			 2008-09 500 
			 2009-10 4,720 
			 2010-11 3,590 
			 2011-12 880 
			 2012-13 640 
		
	
	Changes to guidance, to clarify the circumstances in which a work trial is appropriate, alongside the introduction of measures such as Great Britain Working, the Youth Contract or the Work programme, has had an impact in the number of work trials starts from 2011.
	DWP does not measure and report on the average duration of work trials.

Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the net effect on the number of jobs in the care sector arising from the application to the commissioning of care services of the legislative provisions contemplated in Clause 61 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill.

Mark Hoban: No assessment has been made of the potential impact the implementation of Clause 61 will have on jobs in the care sector. However, a small reduction in the number of claims is anticipated therefore the impact on jobs in the care sector, if any, is likely to be of a similar magnitude.

Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill

Andrew McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the potential monetary benefit to businesses from reductions in insurance premiums consequent on implementation of the legislative changes contemplated in the provisions of Clause 61 of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill.

Mark Hoban: The purpose of the amendment to the Health and Safety at Work Act enacted by this clause is to reduce employer's liability insurance premiums but rather to provide a consistent approach to civil litigation across all health and safety legislation which will be simple for both employers and employees to understand. Employer's liability insurance is often sold as part of a package of insurances required by business and a wide range of factors influence the level of premiums charged, including the amount of activity undertaken by the business and the insurer's experience of the industry sector. Therefore it is not possible to quantify what, if any, impact this amendment will have on premium levels.

Future Jobs Fund: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2013, Official Report, columns 232-3W, on Future Jobs Fund: Airdrie, how many people who would have been eligible under the criteria for the Future Jobs Fund are currently unemployed in (a) Scotland, (b) each local authority area in Scotland and (c) Airdrie and Shotts constituency.

Mark Hoban: The Future Jobs Fund created temporary opportunities, mainly in the public and voluntary sectors. Information on how many people who would have been entitled to apply to FJF are currently unemployed is not available. In part this is because eligibility involved an element of adviser discretion. In addition, individuals who would have been eligible for FJF will in many cases be able to take advantage of alternative support that has been put in place to help people find sustainable jobs in the private sector.

Future Jobs Fund: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2013, Official Report, columns 232-3W, on Future Jobs Fund: Airdrie, what the equivalent information is for (a) Scotland, (b) each local authority area in Scotland and (c) each parliamentary constituency in Scotland.

Mark Hoban: The information is as follows:
	(a) The numbers of starts on placements funded by the Future Jobs Fund in Scotland in each calendar year are as follows:
	
		
			 Calendar year Starts 
			 2009 520 
			 2010 7,910 
			 2011 1,820 
			 Notes: 1. Due to Data Protection protocols, figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. There may be a few people who experienced more than one start on a placement funded by the Future Jobs Fund, so the number of people starting on a placement may not exactly equal the number of starts. Source: DWP LMS opportunities evaluation database August 2011. 
		
	
	There were no starts after 2011.
	(b) The information is not available in the format requested.
	(c) The numbers of starts on placements funded by the Future Jobs Fund in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland in each calendar year will be placed in the Library.

Homelessness

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  for what reasons the social sector size criteria are applied to statutorily homeless families placed in local authority-owned temporary accommodation;
	(2)  what advice he has given to local authorities who use their own stock for temporary accommodation following the introduction of the social sector size criteria;
	(3)  what support his Department is providing to statutorily homeless households placed in local authority-owned temporary accommodation to meet rent shortfalls arising from the social sector size criteria.

Steve Webb: The majority of people placed in temporary accommodation will not be affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy.
	The size criteria test is applied to all housing benefit claimants living in social sector tenancies, including those temporally housed in local authority properties. The only exceptions to this are those living in supported exempt accommodation and co-owned properties. This ensures fairness and consistency of treatment for claimants.
	Where a local authority places a claimant in accommodation that is larger than needed, the spare room subsidy will be removed. This provides an incentive for local authorities to house people in appropriately sized accommodation regardless of their circumstances. Guidance relating to this was issued last July.
	Claimants who are affected by this measure may apply to the local authority for a Discretionary Housing Payment, but this will be subject to assessment of need. Additionally, local authorities are able to re-designate the property and adjust the rent accordingly if they know that placing someone in a property will mean that they are under-occupying.

Hotels

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies stayed in hotels in (i) the UK and (ii) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

Mark Hoban: In line with the Government's austerity agenda, the Department for Work and Pensions has taken vigorous actions to enhance its business travel policy. The DWP's business travel policy actively discourages travel, unless the alternatives have been examined and exhausted and where travel is deemed appropriate, requires the use of the most cost effective modes of transport.
	The spend on hotels for DWP in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			  UK International 
			 2008-09 12.15 0.16 
			 2009-10 11.4 0.14 
			 2010-11 6.95 0.09 
			 2011-12 5.99 0.12 
			 2012-13 5.68 0.10 
		
	
	The total spend for Health and Safety Executive, Independent Living Funds, National Employment Savings Trust, The Pensions Regulator, Pensions Ombudsman, Remploy is shown as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 2.35 
			 2009-10 3.26 
			 2010-11 3.23 
			 2011-12 3.11 
			 2012-13 2.53 
		
	
	The above NDPBs were unable to split the spend between UK and overseas without incurring disproportionate costs. The remaining departmental NDPBs were unable to provide the required data without incurring disproportionate costs.
	Business Travel Policy is designed to provide staff with the means to make informed decisions regarding the most appropriate form of travel based on factors such as cost and sustainability, rather than having a blanket policy.
	This information should also be viewed in the context of a Department employing around 100,000 staff.
	Providing the number of officials that stayed in hotels in the UK and every country during the last five years as well as the monetary value of the 20 highest hotel expenses in each such year could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Housing Benefit

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many recipients of housing benefit were also in receipt of severe disablement allowance in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many recipients of housing benefit were also in receipt of disability living allowance in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many recipients of housing benefit were also in receipt of carer's allowance in each of the last five years;
	(4)  how many recipients of housing benefit were also in receipt of attendance allowance in each of the last five years;
	(5)  how many recipients of housing benefit were also in receipt of incapacity benefit in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing Benefit: Greater London

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the availability of affordable one-bedroom homes for single-person households to downsize into in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency and (b) the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Steve Webb: This information is not available

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of housing benefit who are disabled are liable for the under occupancy penalty.

Steve Webb: Please see the link to the Equality Impact Assessment, which provides estimated figures:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf
	As yet the Department are unable to say how many disabled housing benefit claimants will be affected by the removal of the spare room subsidy.

Jobcentre Plus

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps is he taking to consult users about future options for publishing Jobcentre Plus vacancy statistics.

Mark Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) requested user's views between 14 August 2012 and 14 November 2012 on the changes to the Jobcentre Plus vacancy series. This consultation has now closed. A note summarising user views and the next steps being undertaken can be found at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/jsa/vacancies/user_views.pdf
	All points raised in the consultation have been considered as part of phased planned improvements to the Universal Jobmatch Ml Tool. Details of the new Tool can be found at:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/jsa/vacancies/index.php?page=jsa_vacancy

Jobcentre Plus: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2013, Official Report, column 237W, on Jobcentre Plus: Airdrie, what the equivalent figures were at 25 March 2013 for (a) Scotland, (b) each local authority area in Scotland and (c) each parliamentary constituency in Scotland.

Mark Hoban: The following figures have been sourced from the Universal Jobmatch system and relate to active full time and part time jobs as at 25 March 2013 for Scotland.
	
		
			 Country Number of active jobs Job status 
			 Scotland 13,498 Full-time 
			 Scotland 3,008 Part-time 
			 Scotland 419 Unknown 
		
	
	The data relating to each local authority area in Scotland will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
	Data by each parliamentary constituency in Scotland is not available in the format requested.

Jobcentre Plus: Training

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Jobcentre Plus advisers have received training on identifying and supporting customers (a) at risk of suicide and (b) with mental health problems in each of the last five years; what the content of such training was; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Jobcentre Plus advisers have a comprehensive learning route way that covers identifying and supporting customers who may have a mental health condition. It also includes significant guidance and best practise on the risk of suicide. In addition to the generic adviser skills courses and customer service type learning, a number of learning products have been specifically developed to support all staff who work in jobcentres in dealing with claimants with a mental health condition. Available data shows the number of jobcentre advisers who attended two key training events specific to this particular field were 2,886 in 2011-12 and 2,314 in 2012-13.
	Additionally, there is further 80 hours of learning for the DWP disability employment advisers covering many general aspects of dealing with individual customers with a health condition or disability. It includes skills practice and discussions designed to make advisers better able to help people with particular complex support needs such as mental health issues.

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of jobseeker's allowance in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have (i) received a sanction and (ii) received a sanction and disputed it in each of the last five years.

Mark Hoban: Statistics on how many claimants of jobseeker's allowance in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) Great Britain have (i) received a sanction and (ii) received a sanction and disputed it in each of the last five years are given in the following tables:
	
		
			 Number(1) of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants with a sanction applied by area and year(2):1 January 2008 to 31 May 2012 
			   Year(2) 
			 Area Action(3) 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Great Britain Sanction Applied 276,580 356,580 493,870 482,930 254,200 
			 North East Jobcentre Plus Group(4) Sanction Applied 44,230 52,750 73,670 71,380 37,400 
		
	
	
		
			 South Tyneside Local Authority(5) Sanction Applied 920 1,050 1,490 1,280 580 
			 Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency(6) Sanction Applied 600 680 780 670 300 
		
	
	
		
			 Number(1) of jobseeker's allowance (JSA) sanctioned claimants who asked for a reconsideration or appealed the original decision by Area and Year(2):1 January 2008 to 31 May 2012 
			   Year(2) 
			 Area Action(3) 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Great Britain Reconsidered 49,320 54,110 104,050 135,800 64,800 
			  Appealed 5,840 5,890 15,650 20,000 7,690 
			        
			 North East Jobcentre Plus Group(4) Reconsidered 10,150 9,670 17,720 23,410 10,490 
			  Appealed 410 360 1,590 3,370 1,580 
			        
			 South Tyneside Local Authority(5) Reconsidered 290 250 500 620 240 
			  Appealed 10 — 20 40 10 
			        
			 Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency(6) Reconsidered 140 130 260 330 100 
			  Appealed — — 10 20 10 
			 .”—” Denotes nil or negligible. (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest ten and will include individuals who have had more than one referral decision or the same decision in more than one year e.g. if an individual has a sanction applied and has also appealed a sanction then they will appear twice. (2) Year of Decision: The year in which the decision on the sanction referral, reconsideration or appeal was made. The year 2012 only includes data up to and including the 31 of May, which this is the latest data available for all geographical areas. (3) Action: The number of sanctions applied is the number of Varied(7), Fixed Length(8) and Entitlement Decision(9) sanction referrals where the decision was found against the claimant. The decision to apply a sanction can be overturned following reconsideration or appeal by the Sector Decision Maker. This shows the number of reconsiderations and appeals made. (4) Jobcentre Plus Group: Formerly known as Jobcentre Plus Regions. Jobcentre Plus Groups were updated to reflect changes to the hierarchical structure of Jobcentre Plus implemented on 5 April 2011 from 11 regions to seven groups. (5) Local Authority: On 1 April 2009 structural changes to the local authorities of England took effect. Changes are reflected from April 2009 in this table. (6) Parliamentary Constituency: Parliamentary Constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant postcode directory. Boundaries are as at the reference date. More information and a map can be found at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/maps/index.html (7) Varied Length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for leaving employment voluntarily without just cause, refusing employment without good cause, or losing employment through misconduct. The actual period in each case is at the discretion of the Adjudication Officer who makes the decision. (8) Fixed Length sanctions: A sanction of between one week and 26 weeks is imposed for refusal, without good cause, to attend an employment programme or carry out a Jobseeker's Direction. Payment of benefit continues in full pending the Adjudication Officer's decision on a sanction question. (9) Entitlement Decisions: These are questions on which entitlement to JSA depends. For example, if there is doubt around whether the Jobseeker's agreement (JSAg) is suitable, whether they are actively looking for work or making themselves available for work. In most cases payment of JSA will be suspended by benefit processing until the doubt is resolved. Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowance Decisions Statistics Database

New Enterprise Allowance

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his target was for the number of individuals signed up to the new enterprise allowance in 2012-13; and how many individuals had signed up to the new enterprise allowance by 31 March 2013.

Mark Hoban: We have made a commitment to create up to 40,000 new businesses by the end of 2013.
	From January 2011 up to and including November 2012 there have been 31,540 New Enterprise Allowance mentor starts and 15,210 weekly allowance starts. Values have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	These figures are based upon official Get Britain Working measures available via the DWP website. They can be found here:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/pwp/pwp_gbw_feb13.pdf

Official Hospitality

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible claimed reimbursements for working lunches and official entertainment in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was in each such year.

Mark Hoban: The Department does not collate details of the number of officials who claim reimbursement for working lunches or official entertainment and to provide it would incur in disproportionate cost.
	The Department does routinely collect information on overall expenditure on Working Lunches and Hospitality and this is shown in the table below for the last five years of audited accounts.
	
		
			 Department only 
			 £ 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Working lunch 1,745,068 1,316,186 1,254,611 423,298 78,027 
			 Hospitality 43,076 82,363 20,021 3,238 649 
			 Total 1,788,144 1,398,549 1,274,632 426,536 78,676 
		
	
	In addition, non departmental public bodies (NDPBs) expenditure for Working Lunches and Hospitality is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 NDPBs 
			 £ 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Working lunch 99,369 54,636 16,761 1,127 
			 Hospitality 5,691 3,225 8,172 5,768 
			 Total 105,060 57,861 24,933 6,895 
		
	
	The Department's total costs in the year 2007-08 include the Child Support Agency (CSA) as this was part of the core Department at that time. From 2008-09 the CSA became the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Committee (CMEC), a non-departmental public body (NDPB), and therefore from 2008-09 CMEC figures are reflected in the second NDPB table. The NDPB table also includes expenditure for The Pensions Advisory Service, The Pensions Regulator, The Pensions Ombudsman and the Independent Living Fund from 2010-11 onwards.
	The Health and Safety Executive is a non departmental public body, but this body operates an accounting system which does not collect specific information on Working Lunches and compatible information on Hospitality.
	The overall reduction in expenditure over the period reflects the Department’s ongoing commitment to reduce discretionary expenditure.

Operating Costs

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to reduce administration costs in his Department.

Mark Hoban: The Department is forecast to achieve a one third reduction in cash terms in its administration costs by the end of 2014-15, to £1 billion, compared with the baseline position in 2010-11, £1.5 billion.
	The Department for Work and Pensions has reduced its corporate centre estate, including moving to one head office site in London and reduced the numbers of staff employed in the corporate centre. Divesting from the Adelphi building in London saved DWP around £12 million per annum. Further corporate estate closures are planned in Sheffield by 2015. Consultancy and contingent labour expenditure has been reduced by 75% since 2009-10 from £92 million to £23 million in 2012-13.
	The Department has undertaken a major organisational review, reducing the number of Executive Agencies and non-departmental bodies that form the departmental group, and redesigning its corporate functions. We are on course to deliver planned reductions and have reduced core staffing levels by almost 5,000 in corporate areas.
	Additionally, the Department is bearing down on discretionary expenditure in areas like staff travel.

Outdoor Recreation: Licensing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on future plans for licensing for adventure activity providers in England.

Mark Hoban: Discussions are taking place with colleagues across government about future arrangements for licensing of adventure activity providers. An announcement on the outcome of these discussions will be made in due course.

Piper Alpha Platform

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department plans to mark the 25th anniversary in July 2013 of the Piper Alpha disaster.

Mark Hoban: As the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster approaches, the Government extends its sympathy to those for whom the day is particularly poignant, including the families of the 167 workers who lost their lives in the offshore oil rig explosion.
	The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is marking the anniversary in a number of ways, including participation in the offshore industry's major three day Piper 25 conference to be held in Aberdeen from 18-20 June, which is the key event reflecting on the tragedy and reinforcing industry's commitment to continuous improvement. The HSE Chair, Judith Hackett, will give the opening keynote address.

Poisons

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what restrictions he plans to apply to the rodenticide difenacoum.

Mark Hoban: Restrictions are already applied to rodenticides containing difenacoum as conditions of authorisation to control the risks to people and non-target animals.
	The restrictions include instructions for use, for example, prevent access to bait by children, birds and non-target animals such as dogs, cats, pigs and poultry; remove baits and bait trays after treatment; and search for and remove dead rodents frequently during treatment. They also specify the maximum concentration of difenacoum in the product, and the inclusion of aversive agents to strongly discourage human ingestion, together with restrictions on areas of use such in sewers or in and around buildings.
	The restrictions relating to areas of use are presently under review. In a recent constructive meeting, on 23 April with a wide range of interested parties there was broad agreement to consider some changes leading to less prescription in specifying areas of use coupled with more active product stewardship by suppliers, users and other interested parties to promote safe and sustainable use. The Health and Safety Executive will take this forward in consultation with interested parties.

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Mark Hoban: Details of assets and liabilities held by the Department and its non-departmental public bodies are published in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts via the Statement of Financial Position. The latest audited accounts relate to the financial year 2011-12 and are available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-work-and-pensions-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-to-2012
	Detailed information regarding assets and liabilities could be collated only by undertaking an exercise to look at each asset/liability individually. Such an exercise could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
	Notes 18 and 19 of the 11/12 Annual Report and Accounts disclose disposals made during the year by category.
	Additional details for non-departmental public bodies can be obtained via their individually published Annual Reports and Accounts. Links are provided in the table for your convenience:
	
		
			 NDPB Web address 
			 Health and Safety Executive http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/index.htm 
			 Independent Living Fund http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090105201051/http://ilf.org.uk/cms_media/files/final_accounts_06fund_17jul08_website.pdf 
			 National Employment Savings Trust http://www.nestpensions.org.uk/schemeweb/NestWeb/public/aboutUs/contents/library.html 
			  http://www.nestpensions.org.uk/schemeseb/NestPublicWeb/faces/public/search/pages/simpleSearch.xhtml?search_text=NEST+Annual+Report+and+Accounts+210-11 
			  http://www.nestpensions.org.uk/schemeweb?NestWeb/includes/public/docs/NEST-annual-report-accounts-2011-2012.PDF.pdf

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish details of all (a) his Department's and (b) its non-departmental public bodies' existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Mark Hoban: In line with the Government's transparency policies the Department has published contracts valued at over £10,000 on Contracts Finder since February 2011. The standard terms and conditions used for all departmental contracts contain renewal and early release (break) clauses.
	The details requested for DWP contracts awarded before February 2011, except the annual cost for each contract for each year, are available and will be published in the Library. The annual cost of each contract for each year could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Details for my Department's non-departmental public bodies will be collated and placed in the Libraries of both Houses as soon as possible. However, as Remploy Ltd is currently undertaking a set of commercial processes for the sale of their factory businesses and are actively considering, alongside Government, commercial options for the exit of Employment Services from Government control, in both these instances it would not be appropriate to release commercially sensitive information relating to assets and liabilities of those businesses at this time. For the Health and Safety Executive, details could be provided only at disproportionate cost as some of the costs of the contractual obligations are recovered from industry and therefore the cost to the public purse is not easily identifiable.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Mark Hoban: DWP policy has been developed and implemented which incorporates the principles of the new Act. This includes embedding sustainability by supporting the SME and Diversity & Equality agendas which are at the heart of the Social Value Act, at the initial and very high-level stages of a proposal, which require Ministerial and key stakeholder support. A policy evaluation tool supports this and provides evidence as required.
	Further embedding sustainability at project stage is achieved by undertaking deeper analysis, as more detail becomes available, via a sustainability evaluation tool which includes greenhouse gas analysis.
	Further steps, where relevant and appropriate, include contractual specifications and contract performance conditions that suppliers to the Department are required to meet. These relate to environmental issues, diversity and equality issues and use of apprenticeships in supply chains and are included in specific contract clauses and schedules that are subject to on going review with suppliers.

Redundancy Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible received payments under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last five years; and at what total cost in each such year.

Mark Hoban: I have provided the information requested below which includes compensation paid through the use of voluntary exit and voluntary redundancy schemes.
	The Civil Service Compensation Scheme was reformed in 2010. Under the previous terms there could be costs extending for up to 10 years from a departure, while under the reformed scheme all of the costs fall within the year of departure.
	The reformed scheme allows for greater distinction between voluntary and compulsory exits and is designed to encourage voluntary rather than compulsory departures.
	NAO have estimated that under the reformed scheme, exits cost around 40-50% less than the previous compensation scheme in place before the General Election.
	Figures for 2012/13 will be published as part of the Annual Report and Accounts due for publication in June 2013.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals his Department engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at such meetings;
	(2)  what meetings he or his officials have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at such meetings.

Mark Hoban: DWP Ministers and officials engage with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Meetings held or attended by Ministers and senior officials are routinely published as part of the Department's quarterly transparency returns and can be found on the DWP website
	http://www.gov.uk/dwp
	Further consideration will be given to engagement as our analysis develops.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many members of his Department's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and at what cost to the public purse.

Mark Hoban: Work on the Scotland Analysis programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. There is a small team in the Treasury coordinating the programme. The cost of carrying out the work is being funded from existing departmental budgets in the normal way.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse

Mark Hoban: No external consultants have been commissioned by DWP in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme.

Skills Training UK

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of participants in programmes operated by Skills Training UK were in full-time employment six months after completion of their course in 2012-13.

Mark Hoban: Skills Training UK deliver European Social Fund (ESF) funded provision to help families with multiple problems overcome barriers to employment. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure that published statistics meet the required high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. The first official statistics on the ESF are planned for publication from late Summer 2013, so job outcome information is not yet available.

Skills Training UK

Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the total cost to the public purse of Skills Training UK was in 2012-13.

Mark Hoban: The total cost paid to Skills Training UK Ltd by DWP for the year 2012/13 amounted to £206,940.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what target his Department has adopted to respond to the change in circumstances leading to disapplication of the benefit cap.

Mark Hoban: DWP has not introduced any new targets specifically relating to dealing with changes of circumstances in Benefit Cap cases.
	There are an existing set of changes of circumstance Average Actual Clearance Time (AACT) targets for benefits that affect the cap and these are:
	
		
			  Days 
			 JSA 6 
			 ESA 6 
			 IS 6 
		
	
	It should also be noted that there is a separate team dealing with Benefit Cap cases and as such where changes are identified which require urgent resolution leading to uncapping, then processes are in place for that to happen urgently.

Social Security Benefits

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions his Department had with (a) the Department for Communities and Local Government and (b) local authorities about the potential effect on local authorities of his Department's decision not to externally advertise the availability of short-term benefit advances to claimants.

Steve Webb: My Department has had numerous discussions with the Department for Communities and Local Government and local authorities about the reforms to the Social Fund which were introduced on 1 April 2013.
	Short Term Benefit Advances are not a specific benefit or separate scheme like the Social Fund and the process reflects this. They are an advance of the claimant's benefit. Where the claimant tells us they are in financial need (either at the start of their claim or those who have had a change of circumstances resulting in a significant increase in their benefit) then DWP staff will consider a Short Term Benefit Advance where appropriate. This will most commonly happen at the new claims stage when staff are discussing with the claimant what will happen next. DWP endeavours to pay any benefit due where possible and in many cases this is happening.
	In response to DWP's own monitoring of the new arrangements and issues raised with us by local authorities, we have already issued our own staff with additional guidance and provided local authorities with further information (including more detail on the Short Term Benefit Advance "rules" and processes).

Social Security Benefits

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to reduce (a) the number of duplicate benefits notifications and (b) expenditure on sending out duplicate benefits notifications;
	(2)  what steps his Department is taking to (a) communicate to people in receipt of benefits clear and concise information about their entitlement and (b) ensure that such people do not receive duplicate notifications.

Mark Hoban: The DWP continues to produce and maintain a wide range of notifications about social security benefits subject to resource considerations where, for example, changes to a notification would require IT changes. Communication guidelines are made available to DWP staff which include advice about writing style and how to keep content clear, simple, concise, and relevant. The guidelines also include advice about the standards for making information more accessible, for example, when providing versions in large print or Braille. Alternative methods of notification such as short text messages may also be used in some situations.
	In some cases reminder notifications are issued to claimants to improve the processing of benefit claims and potentially reduce DWP expenditure. Where the duplication of a notification is found to be unnecessary the DWP has a range of possible options. These include reviewing the wording of notifications, the system and clerical processes, operational performance and removing the cause of the duplication where possible, subject to resource considerations.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people convicted of benefit fraud continued to receive benefits in each of the last five years; and how many such people were resident in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.

State Retirement Pensions

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people will not get a full pension as a result of any increase in the qualifying period from 30 to 35 years. [Official Report, 15 May 2013, Vol. 563, c. 5MC.]

Steve Webb: The single-tier pension will require 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits for the full amount. Based on the illustrative amount of £144 for the full single-tier pension in 2012-13 terms set out in the White Paper, 30 qualifying years under the single-tier scheme would be equivalent to a value of £123.43 a week.
	Under the current state pension system, people reaching State Pension age today require 30 qualifying years for the full amount of basic State Pension currently £107.00 a week and can make contributions to the State Second Pension for each year in their working life. When the single-tier pension is implemented we will recognise contributions made under the current system and translate them into a single-tier pension foundation amount.
	In the long term around 85% of people will get the full single-tier pension under the proposals outlined in the White Paper published in January. Chart 4.1 shows the proportion who will receive the full single-tier pension by the year in which people reach State Pension age. In the early years of the reforms most people receiving less than the full single-tier amount will do so because they will have a deduction applied to take into account periods when they were contracted out of the additional State Pension, rather than because they have fewer than 35 qualifying years.

Universal Credit

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of results of the direct payment demonstration project.

Mark Hoban: The Direct Payment Demonstration projects have and continue to provide much valuable live learning about how best to design that aspect of universal credit so that it has the least impact on both tenants and landlords.
	To date, the learning has had a direct influence on the design for universal credit in the areas of personal budgeting support, the alternative payment arrangements and the rent arrears trigger.
	It is important to understand that the findings from the projects are not indicative of what will happen in universal credit. While the scale of the change is greater, the new safeguards and support processes will be in place for tenants and landlords.
	As part of the independent evaluation being conducted by the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research, an interim report of the emerging lessons from the projects will be published in mid-May and a final report is expected to be published in the spring of 2014.

Universal Credit

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what alternative application processes for universal credit he plans to put in place for people who have poor literacy skills and face difficulty reading and writing.

Mark Hoban: Universal credit has developed its online service using customer insight and work to determine claimant needs. The design has been user tested as it has developed with existing claimants and staff in order to continually improve and create an easy to use online service.
	Universal credit is developing all its products using the DWP guidelines for level of literacy required of between nine and 13 years of age and to be compliant with disability. Where necessary we will also offer alternative routes; via telephone where an agent will complete an online claim form on a claimants behalf or direct assistance in a local office, a local delivery partner or in, exceptional circumstances a home visit.

Universal Credit

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether there will be an audio application process for universal credit for people who would face difficulty completing the process such as those who are sight impaired.

Mark Hoban: The universal credit online system has been built to web content accessibility guidelines including assistive technologies in order for blind claimants to be able to use it.
	We will also offer alternative routes: via telephone where an agent will complete an online claim form on a claimant’s behalf or direct assistance in a local office, a local delivery partner, or in exceptional circumstances a home visit.
	The Local Service Support framework will provide an outline of localised support services including getting online, managing on a monthly budget and paying rent.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for supporting people who leave the Work Programme after two years without a job from June 2013.

Mark Hoban: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave previously to the hon. Member for Coventry South (Mr Cunningham), to PQ 147545 on 12 March 2013, Official Report, column 206W.

WALES

Air Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials in his Department travelled on (a) domestic and (b) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year.

Stephen Crabb: The number of Wales Office officials who travelled on domestic flights in each of the last five years is set out in the following table. The table also includes the class category of flights and total spend on flights.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of officials Class categories of UK flights Total spend on flights in UK (£) 
			 2008-09 6 Economy 2,516.66 
			 2009-10 7 Economy 1,856.60 
			 2010-11 5 Economy 517.08 
			 2011-12 4 Economy 646.33 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 1 Economy 72.27 
		
	
	The number of Wales Office officials who travelled on international flights in each of the last five years is set out in the following table. The table also includes the class category of flights and total spend on flights.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of officials Class categories of international flights Total spend on international flights (£) 
			 2008-09 2 Economy 275.90 
			 2009-10 3 Economy 734.27 
			 2010-11 0 Economy — 
			 2011-12 1 Economy 270.07 
			 2012-13 5 Economy and Business Class 27,948.48 
		
	
	Wales Office Officials did not undertake 20 flights between 2008-09 and 2012-13, the following table reflects the highest airfares booked in the years stated:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Highest 20 airfares in: 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 1 379.00 305.20 120.88 194.09 5,852.69 
			 2 193.89 251.20 101.40 155.36 5,838.09 
			 3 125.00 160.27 68.98 149.62 5,271.41 
			 4 116.43 154.49 60.44 113.07 3,007.50 
			 5 104.03 106.18 44.50 75.99 1,504.06 
			 6 99.58 77.29 — 72.93 1,316.36 
			 7 97.04 76.37 — 68.93 940.73 
			 8 74.25 70.94 — — 756.30 
			 9 72.00 57.59 — — 375.63 
			 10 64.49 54.99 — — 304.42 
			 11 57.30 53.42 — — 261.30 
			 12 53.10 39.99 — — 157.30 
			 13 26.00 37.32 — — 100.00 
			 14 — 32.99 — — 50.57 
			 15 — 32.50 — — 49.93 
			 16 — — — — — 
			 17 — — — — — 
			 18 — — — — — 
			 19 — — — — — 
			 20 — — — — —

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by his Department with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Stephen Crabb: Information relating to assets and liabilities for the Wales Office can be found in the Annual Report and Accounts. The 2011-12 Wales Office Annual Report and Accounts can be found on the departmental website and in the Library of the House.
	The audited Annual Report and Accounts for 2012-13 are due to be published before the parliamentary summer recess.
	No assets controlled by the Wales Office are scheduled for disposal in the coming financial year.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

Stephen Crabb: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish details of all his Department's existing contractual commitments with a value of (a) between £100,000 and £1 million, (b) between £1 million and £10 million, (c) between £10 million and £100 million and (d) over £100 million; what the (i) duration, (ii) value including annual costs to the public purse, (iii) expiry date and (iv) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (A) renewal clauses and (B) early release clauses.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has one contractual commitment within the values specified. The operating lease for its Cardiff Office commenced on 5 April 2012 for a term of 10 years, with a total value of £749,650. There is a break clause in the lease after five years.

Scotland

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals his Department engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme; and what was discussed at such consultations;
	(2)  how many members of his Department's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis Programme; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of this work;
	(3)  what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme; and what was discussed at such meetings;
	(4)  what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis Programme; which consultants were used; and how much any such consultancy has cost.

David Jones: Work on the Scotland Analysis Programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. There is a small team in the Treasury coordinating the programme.
	The Wales Office has not engaged with any external organisations or individuals as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme, nor have any Wales Office staff been allocated to work on the Programme. Neither I nor my officials have met with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Mr Darling), as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme and my Department has not commissioned any work from external consultants in relation to this work.

Visits Abroad

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent on international travel for Ministers in the Wales Office in each year since 2008-09.

Stephen Crabb: The expenditure on international ministerial travel for the Wales Office in each financial year since 2008-09 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Total (£) 
			 2008-09 471.41 
			 2009-10 598.69 
			 2010-11 0 
			 2011-12 270.07 
			 2012-13 15,701.29

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Discrimination

Harriet Harman: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what steps she plans to take to tackle dual discrimination on the combined grounds of age and sex.

Helen Grant: In March 2011, the Government published the “Plan for Growth” which announced that it would not bring forward the dual discrimination provisions in section 14 of the Equality Act 2010. These provisions would prohibit direct discrimination which occurs because of a combination of two relevant protected characteristics, such as age and sex.
	These provisions will remain on the statute book but will have no effect during the lifetime of this Parliament.

Staff

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities if she will estimate the Government Equalities Office's total staffing requirement in full-time equivalent posts for fulfilling its minimum statutory obligations.

Helen Grant: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her on 27 February 2013, Official Report, column 548W.

CABINET OFFICE

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Francis Maude: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Charities: Direct Selling

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance his Department issues to charities which use door-to-door selling on protecting elderly and vulnerable people.

Nick Hurd: The Code of Fundraising Practice for public collections, developed by the Institute of Fundraising, states that collectors ought not to approach individuals that may reasonably be considered to be vulnerable adults. Also, it is illegal for a doorstep charity collector to:
	“importune any person to the annoyance of such person”,
	or to remain in, or at the door of, any house if requested to leave.

Civil Servants

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (a) how many and (b) what proportion of the residents of each constituency in England and Wales were classified by the 2011 census as working in (i) public administration and (ii) the defence industry in rank order.

Nick Hurd: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Civil Service: Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made on the Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme.

Francis Maude: Civil Service Learning launched the fast track apprenticeship scheme on 15 April 2013. Information on the scheme and how to apply is available at
	www.civilservice.gov.uk/csapprenticeships

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

Francis Maude: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Email

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent guidance he has issued to (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in other Government departments on the use of private email accounts to discuss items of Government business; and if he will place a copy of any such guidance in the Library.

Francis Maude: holding answer 14 January 2013
	The Guidance will be published in due course and when it is ready I will write to the hon. Member.

Government Departments: Billing

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of those firms awarded Government contracts in the last three years have made payments to subcontractors after the 30 day period specified in the Government's prompt payment code.

Chloe Smith: This information is not held centrally. However, we expect Departments to actively manage the requirement in contracts for suppliers to pay their subcontractors within 30 days.
	We are encouraging SMEs to use the 'Mystery Shopper' service to report instances where prompt payment is not happening, so that targeted action can be taken where necessary.

Government Departments: Procurement

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of Government contracts were awarded to small and medium-sized businesses (a) directly and (b) through supply chains in 2012-13.

Chloe Smith: It has hot proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he expects that the Major Projects Authority report into High Speed Rail 2 will be published.

Chloe Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

New Businesses: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many business start-ups there have been in Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated April 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how many business start-ups there have been in Shrewsbury constituency in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 (152714).
	Data on the number of new businesses (we refer to these as enterprise births) are available in the ONS release on Business Demography at
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/business-demographv/index.html
	The latest data available are for 2011. The table contains the count of businesses born in each year for Shrewsbury constituency.
	
		
			  Number of business births in Shrewsbury constituency 
			 2010 330 
			 2011 355 
			 Note: The above figures have been rounded to the nearest five, to avoid disclosure. These numbers do not include very small businesses, typically those below the threshold for VAT.

NHS: Procurement

Toby Perkins: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance his Department issues to primary care trusts on taking account of likely contributions to the Exchequer when assessing applications in procurement processes.

Chloe Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Population

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (a) how many and (b) what proportion of the residents of each constituency in England and Wales were born in (i) England and (ii) Wales.

Nick Hurd: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Public Sector: Third Sector

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the total value of public service contracts that have been awarded to voluntary sector organisations in each year since 2008-09;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of overall public expenditure which was spent on public service contracts with voluntary sector organisations in each year since 2008-09.

Nick Hurd: The Government did not routinely ask central Departments to report this information prior to the general election. For information thereafter, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 654W.

Redundancy Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible received payments under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last five years; and at what total cost in each such year.

Francis Maude: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Senior Civil Servants: Pensions

Pamela Nash: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when he plans to disclose the details of the remuneration rates for all persons in receipt of civil service pensions who are senior civil servants and those paid by non-departmental public bodies at rates in excess of the minimum applicable to the senior civil service.

Francis Maude: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Teenage Pregnancy

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2013, Official Report, column 31W, in which local authority area Nelson ward, listed in the answer, is located.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated April 2013
	.
	The Nelson ward listed in the Answer is located in Great Yarmouth local authority.

Young People

Priti Patel: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people were in each age group between the ages of zero and 18 in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of such figures in each of the next 10 years.

Nick Hurd: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what costs were incurred by her Department during the operation to replace a turbine in the Kajaki dam in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Alan Duncan: No costs have been incurred by DFID. The Kandahar Helmand Power Project to enhance the electrical power output of the Kajaki Dam is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) her Department and (ii) its non-departmental public body with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Alan Duncan: DFID’s annual report and accounts 2011-12 are included on its external website at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-2012
	Chapter 5 of this document contains the financial statements of the Department and its non-departmental public bodies, including all assets and liabilities of the Department as at 31 March 2012. This has been subject to audit. No assets are scheduled for disposal.
	Within category C, the Department holds seven individual assets with values between £10 million and £100 million. These include further shareholding investments in multi development banks (note 14 to the accounts on page 162) and outstanding loan receipts on two individual loans provided to multi development banks to finance development assistance (included within note 16 and 17 on pages 170 and 172) totalling £95 million. There are also three individual assets within the categories of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets with values between £10 and £100 million. These relate to leasehold improvements of our London UK office property, a property held under a finance lease which are both included within the category of leasehold-related assets in note 12 to the accounts on page 157 and the value of our management information and aid platform software, reflected within note 13 to the accounts on page 159.
	Responding in full to parts (A) and (B) of the question would incur disproportionate costs.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will place in the Library (a) her Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

Alan Duncan: At the 2010 spending review, the Department overhauled its approach to resource allocation to drive value for money. The Multilateral Aid Review (MAR), Bilateral Aid Review (BAR) and Humanitarian and Emergency Response Review (HERR) were the main vehicles for this approach.
	The Government does not publish departmental analysis produced as part of the spending round.

Jordan

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the influx of Syrian refugees on economic development in Jordan.

Justine Greening: The great number of refugees entering Jordan on a daily basis is deeply concerning and I am acutely aware of the impact this could have on economic development in Jordan. Jordanian authorities have estimated spending close to $210 million on refugees in 2012 and host communities are also affected through overstretched public services, higher rents and commodity price increases. Jordan’s trade with neighbouring countries has also suffered, for instance with a 25% to 30% decline in agricultural trade with Syria. We welcome the Government of Jordan’s immense generosity in hosting the refugees and continuing to maintain an open border policy.
	To date, the UK has provided over £26 million of funding in Jordan to mitigate the effects of the strain placed on the country by such high number of refugees. The UK is also providing assistance to Jordan through the Arab Partnership to support political and economic reform.

Overseas Aid

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent as aid in developing countries in each of the last five years, broken down by country; and how much will be spent in this manner in each of the next five years.

Alan Duncan: DFID publishes details of expenditure on Official Development Assistance (ODA), in 'Statistics on International Development' (SID) which is available in the House Library or online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistics-on-international-development
	Tables 16.2 to 16.6 provide the total UK net ODA broken down by country, covering five calendar years (2007-11). This information can be found in the column headed 'UK Net Bilateral ODA'.
	For 2012, provisional ODA figures have been published and final outturn figures will be published in October 2013.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistical-release-provisional-uk-official-development-assistance-oda-as-a-proportion-of-gross-national-income-2012
	Country specific information for financial year 2011-12 and provisional plans for 2012-13 and 2014-15 can be found in DFID's Annual Report (table B6). Updated information will be included in the Department's 2012-13 Annual report, which will be published in June.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-2012
	Country operational plans are also available on DFID's website, and provide information on planned expenditure for 2013-14 and 2014-15 These are currently being refreshed and updated plans will be published at the end of June.
	Budgets for 2015 onwards have not yet been set.

Overseas Aid

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will provide a breakdown of all current spending commitments to countries in the developing world, broken down by country.

Alan Duncan: Provisional spending plans for 2012-13 to 2014-15 can be found in DFID's Annual Report (table B6). Updated information will be included in the Department's 2012-13 Annual report, which will be published in June.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-2012
	Country operational plans are also available on DFID's website, and provide information on planned expenditure for 2013-14 and 2014-15. These are currently being refreshed and updated plans will be published at the end of June.

Overseas Aid

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will estimate the amount of private investment from the UK which has been spent in developing countries in each of the last five years, broken down by country.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) relies on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for data on UK private investment overseas. Part 3 of the UK Balance of Payments (the Pink Book) publishes a geographical breakdown of income balances and is available online for the period 2007-11 at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bop/united-kingdom-balance-of-payments/2012/index.html
	Full estimates cannot be made for the amount of private investment from the UK in each of the last five years because the ONS does not provide a further systematic breakdown for all developing countries. Further illustrative data on foreign direct investment by individual UK companies to major developing country economies for the same period can also be accessed via the ONS website at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/search/index.html?pageSize=50&newquery=foreign+direct+investment

Pakistan

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what comparative assessment she has made of the effectiveness of UK aid in supporting education in (a) the Punjab and (b) other regions of Pakistan.

Justine Greening: At a national level 4 million children in primary education will be benefiting from DFID support by 2015. We are seeing real progress across the country. DFID technical assistance through the Punjab School Reform Roadmap, which was launched in 2011, has seen at least 1 million additional children enrolled in pre-school and school, average student attendance up 9% to 92% and teacher absenteeism down from 19% to 9%. In Khyber Pakthunkwa we have distributed 400,000 stipends to girls and supported Parent Teacher Councils to provide basic facilities in 6,982 schools. We are also looking to expand our support in Sindh and through the Education Fund for Sindh, over 18,000 children have been supported.
	Responsibility for education in Pakistan is devolved to provincial level, and DFID education programmes are designed to meet the needs of individual provinces. As a result, interventions are not directly comparable. However, all DFID programmes are subject to reviews of their effectiveness through annual reviews and project completion reports, according to standard DFID project cycle management procedures. Our Education programme was described as
	“sophisticated, multi-dimensional and innovative, with a balanced approach to access, equity and quality”
	by the Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) report on the DFID bilateral aid to Pakistan.

Palestinians

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to secure adequate water supplies in Gaza;
	(2)  what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of water supply in Gaza.

Alan Duncan: The Government is very concerned about access to water for Palestinians in Gaza, where 90% of drinking water does not meet international standards. The UK does not directly fund water projects in the OPTs since a large number of organisations already work on water and sanitation issues. However, UK support to the EU. contributes to EU funded projects in the water, sanitation and basic infrastructure sector.
	One of the key obstacles to improving water supply in Gaza is Israeli restrictions on the import of goods and equipment into the Gaza Strip. The UK has pressed the Israeli authorities to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current unacceptable situation and ensure the fair distribution of water in Gaza.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will publish details of all (a) her Department’s and (b) its non-departmental public body’s existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Alan Duncan: In accordance with the UK Government’s Transparency Agenda, the Department for International Development (DFID) publishes all centrally let contracts in excess of £10,000 to the Cabinet Office website at:
	https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/?site=1000&lang=en
	The type of contract information published includes contract title; contract value; supplier details; nature of the contract; duration, including extension periods if applicable and contract terms and conditions.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what work her Department is doing as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme.

Alan Duncan: The Scotland Analysis Programme is a cross-government programme of work examining how Scotland contributes to and benefits from being part of the UK, and how the UK benefits from its partnership with Scotland. DFID is contributing information about international development to this process.

Syria

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which countries have received financial assistance from the UK as part of the Syrian humanitarian crisis.

Justine Greening: To date the UK is providing £141.1 million in humanitarian aid to assist people affected by the crisis in Syria and the region. This funding is channelled through humanitarian partners, including UN agencies, non-governmental organisations and humanitarian agencies operating on the ground in Syria. As well as providing support within Syria, we are targeting communities in neighbouring countries so that they are able to continue their generous efforts in hosting refugees.
	£84.2 million of UK assistance is directed to Syria; £26.1 million to Jordan; £19.5 million to Lebanon; £6.3 million to Turkey; and £2.4 million to Iraq. A further £2.6 million is provided for the region as a whole, and used by humanitarian organisations to fill urgent funding gaps. In Syria and across the region, UK Aid is funding food for more than 147,000 people, drinking water for more than 76,000 people, and more than 178,000 medical consultations.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: East of England

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alcohol-related hospital admissions there were in (a) Peterborough constituency, (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) the East of England in each of the last five years; and if he will make a comparative assessment of those figures and those in the rest of the UK.

Anna Soubry: The following tables contain the sum of the estimated alcohol attributable fractions (AAFs) for admissions for Peterborough constituency, Cambridgeshire primary care trust (PCT) of residence, East of England Strategic Health Authority (SHA) of residence and England (residence) for the years 2007-08 to 2011-12.
	It should be noted that a Parliamentary constituency breakdown is not possible before 2008-09.
	It is not possible to make an assessment of such admissions compared to UK averages; only England figures can be provided for comparison.
	It should be noted that these figures are not a count of people and represent an estimated number of admissions that were attributable to alcohol.
	AAFs are based on the proportion of a given diagnosis or injury that is estimated to be attributed to alcohol. Some diagnoses or injuries will, by definition, be wholly attributable to alcohol and have an AAF of one; others will only be partly attributable to alcohol and have an AAF greater than zero, but less than one. Diagnoses or injuries that are not attributable at all to alcohol will have an AAF of zero.
	These figures are derived by summing all AAFs for the relevant admissions and should therefore be interpreted only as an estimate of the number of admissions that can be attributed to alcohol.
	
		
			 Sum of AAFs(1) for Peterborough parliamentary constituency of residence(2), Cambridgeshire PCT of residence(3), East of England SHA of residence and residents of England, for the years 2007-08 to 2011-12(4) 
			 Sum of alcohol AAF(1) 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Peterborough constituency n/a 2,110 2,606 2,830 2,849 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT residence 10,544 11,353 12,605 13,553 13,580 
			 East of England SHA residence 84,731 91,640 106,428 119,501 125,370 
			 England (residence) 855,229 940,403 1,052,068 1,163,565 1,215,083 
		
	
	
		
			 Population estimates(5) 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Peterborough constituency 108,000 108,500 109,400 110,100 n/a 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT residence 592,600 600,600 607,000 616,300 622,300 
			 East of England SHA residence 5,648,700 5,717,400 5,766,600 5,831,800 5,862,400 
			 England (residence) 51,106,200 51,464,600 51,809,700 52,234,000 53,107,200 
		
	
	
		
			 Crude rate per 100,000 population(6) 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Peterborough constituency n/a 1,945 2,382 2,570 n/a 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT residence 1,779 1,890 2,077 2,199 2,182 
			 East of England SHA residence 1,500 1,603 1,846 2,049 2,139 
		
	
	
		
			 England (residence) 1,673 1,827 2,031 2,228 2,288 
			 (1)Alcohol-related admissions The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO), which uses 48 indicators for alcohol-related illnesses, determining the proportion of a wide range of diseases and injuries that can be partly attributed to alcohol as well as those that are, by definition, wholly attributable to alcohol. Further information on these proportions can be found at: www.nwph.net/nwpho/publications/AlcoholAttributableFractions.pdf The application of the NWPHO methodology has recently been updated and is now available directly from HES. As such, information about episodes estimated to be alcohol related may be slightly different from previously published data. Alcohol attributable fractions are not applicable to children under 16. Therefore figures for this age group relate only to wholly-attributable admissions, where the attributable fraction is one. (2 )Parliamentary constituency of residence The parliamentary constituency containing the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another parliamentary constituency for treatment. This field is only available from 2008-09 onwards. (3 )Strategic Health Authority/Primary Care Trust (SHA/PCT) residence The strategic health authority (SHA) or primary care trust (PCT) containing the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another SHA/PCT for treatment. A change in methodology in 2011-12 resulted in an increase in the number of records where the PCT or SHA of residence was unknown. From 2006-07 to 2010-11 the current PCT and SHA of residence fields were populated from the recorded patient postcode. In order to improve data completeness, if the postcode was unknown the PCT, SHA and country of residence were populated from the PCT/SHA value supplied by the provider. From April 2011-12 onwards if the patient postcode is unknown the PCT, SHA and country of residence are listed as unknown. (4 )Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care. (5 )Office for National Statistics (ONS) Population Estimates Population figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. ONS mid-year population estimates are used for PCT, SHA and England areas. ONS publishes experimental population estimates at parliamentary constituency level up to mid-2010: http://ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/sape/parliament-constituency-pop-est/index.html (6 )Crude rate per 100,000 population Care should be taken when interpreting crude rates since different areas have different populations. Alcohol fractions are assigned to a range of conditions and causes according to the gender and age of the patient, therefore areas with different population profiles are expected to have a different number of alcohol attributable admissions. Note: Activity in English NHS Sector. Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Antibiotics

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the future effectiveness of antibiotics.

Anna Soubry: In line with the evidence set out in the Chief Medical Officer's report of March this year, the consensus is that antibiotic resistance has steadily increased, along with a dearth of new antibiotics being licensed. We are addressing the problem of antimicrobial resistance through the United Kingdom five-year Antimicrobial Strategy and Action Plan, which we aim to publish in the summer.
	A copy of the “Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer: Volume II, Infections and the rise of antimicrobial resistance”, has already been placed in the Library,

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Daniel Poulter: The information requested could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Broadmoor Hospital

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the proposed redevelopment of Broadmoor Hospital by West London Mental Health NHS Trust with (a) the NHS Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention programme and (b) the Nicholson Challenge;
	(2)  what the current revenue costs per bed of Broadmoor Hospital are; and what the estimated future revenue costs per bed at that hospital are following its proposed redevelopment;
	(3)  what the current costs per patient are at (a) Broadmoor Hospital, (b) Ashworth Hospital and (c) Rampton Hospital;
	(4)  how many patients Ashworth NHS Foundation Trust could accommodate if all wards at that site were open;
	(5)  how many beds will be commissioned from West London Mental Health NHS Trust as part of the proposed Broadmoor Hospital site development.

Norman Lamb: The Department is currently reviewing the full business case for the £286 million redevelopment of Broadmoor Hospital. As part of this, West London Mental Health NHS Trust must demonstrate that the hospital is financially affordable and that the Trust can deliver the necessary savings plans. In addition, the Trust must provide confirmation from National High Secure Services commissioners of its continued support for the redevelopment before the approval for the scheme can be given.
	The National High Secure Services Strategic Commissioning Plan (2010-15) set out how high secure services will contribute to improving quality and achieving sustainable efficiency, and supports the proposed redevelopment of Broadmoor Hospital.
	The current average bed costs per annum for Broadmoor Hospital to commissioners is £325,000 (including non recurrent funding) £311,000 (excluding non recurrent funding) and the estimated cost per bed in 2020-21 is £335,000.
	Ashworth average bed costs are £290,000.
	Rampton average bed costs are £251,000 for same population as Broadmoor and Ashworth and £301,000 for National Learning Disability Service and £340,000 for National Women's Service.
	Ashworth could currently accommodate 266 patients and 329 patients if wards were refurbished.
	210. beds will be commissioned from West London Mental Health NHS Trust as part of the proposed Broadmoor Hospital site development:

Cancer

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department pays out annually to cancer charities.

Anna Soubry: The Department does not have an annual set amount that it pays out to charities. During 2012-13; the Department made the following payments to voluntary sector organisations specialising in cancer services.
	
		
			 2012-13 
			 Organisation £ 
			 Bowel Cancer UK 50,000 
			 Breakthrough Breast Cancer 189,256 
			 Breast Cancer Care 86,265 
			 Cancer Research UK 1,553,217 
			 CLIC Sargent 24,958 
			 Hereditary Breast Cancer Helpline 80,000 
			 Macmillan Cancer Support 210,930 
			 Marie Curie Cancer Care 3,708,062 
		
	
	It should be noted that charitable organisations that specialise in cancer are not separately identified within the Department's financial systems and therefore the information above may not include all cancer charities to which the Department has made payments.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

Daniel Poulter: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  (a) how many and (b) what proportion of prisoners have been (i) successfully treated for drug addiction using abstinence-based techniques and (ii) maintained on methadone or other drug substitutes while in prison in each of the last five years;
	(2)  of those prisoners who were successfully treated for drug addiction whilst in prison using abstinence-based techniques, what proportion were subsequently re-toxified with courses of methadone immediately prior to their release in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: We are advised by Public Health England that data is not collected centrally about the actual number of prisoners receiving abstinence-based treatment, methadone or other drug substitutes. Data is collected on the total number of methadone prescriptions and abstinence-based treatments issued in the course of a reporting year and the following table shows data for the five most recently available years. However, prisoners may receive more than one prescription or course of treatment in the course of a reporting year so data do not accurately record the actual number of prisoners receiving these treatments.
	
		
			 Number of clinical interventions for opioid (heroin) dependence among prisoners in England between 2007-08 and 2011-12: maintenance-based prescription and abstinence-based detoxification programmes, male and female, all ages 
			  Total number of in-year maintenance prescriptions Total number of individual in-year detoxification treatments provided Aggregate number of in-year clinical drug interventions 
			 2011-12 33,198 31,718 64,916 
			 2010-11 30,650 30,459 61,109 
			 2009-10 23,744 36,323 60,067 
			 2008-09 19,632 45,135 64.767 
			 2007-08 12,518 46,291 58,809 
			 Source: National Offender Management Service. 
		
	
	Unless there are clinical reasons to the contrary, prisoners expected to serve a sentence of three months or more will work towards becoming drug free, including undertaking an abstinence programme if clinically appropriate. This approach was endorsed by guidance issued by the Recovery Orientated Drug Treatment Expert Group in 2012. The national drug treatment monitoring system (NDTMS) was introduced in prisons in 2012-13 and will assist with assessing how effectively the new guidance is being implemented. NDTMS will also provide data on whether the correct balance between maintenance and detoxification is being achieved and improvements to the quality and extent of available data from NDTMS should be available after 2013-14.
	Data on how many prisoners are readmitted to opiate substitution treatment before release from prison is not collected centrally. The decision to initiate treatment in this way is a clinical decision made on a case-by-case basis. All prisoners who have been engaged in structured drug treatment while in custody should undergo a pre-release review by the prison substance misuse team, primarily to ensure that the necessary continuity of care arrangements are in place.
	The completion of pre-release reviews has been monitored as part of the performance management arrangements which accompanies the NDTMS across all English prisons and young offender institutions from April 2012.

Family Nurse Partnership Programme

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work the family nurse partnership programme undertakes with fathers; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Family Nurse Partnerships (FNP) programme uses in-depth methods to work with young mothers and fathers on attachment, relationships and psychological preparation for parenthood, as well as supporting learning and changes in family health, well-being and child health and development. Family nurses build supportive relationships with families and guide first time young parents so they can adopt healthier lifestyles for themselves and their babies, provide good care for their babies and plan their own futures. Fathers are actively invited to participate in FNP from the beginning, as a way of respecting their important contribution as a parent and partner.
	Evidence from three large scale trials in the United States of America, which have followed children and families up to age 19, found significantly improved health and well-being for disadvantaged children and their families. Including increases in fathers’ involvement.

Food: Inspections

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authorities which have responsibility for food sampling have failed to conduct any such sampling in each year since 2007-08.

Anna Soubry: The Food Standards Agency moved to an electronic data collection system from 2008-09. To enable them to prepare for implementation of this new system, local authorities were given a moratorium on providing an annual data return in 2007-08.
	In each year from 2008-09, the number of local authorities where the annual data returns indicated that no ‘official’ food sampling was carried out is:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2008-09 15 
			 2009-10 7 
			 2010-11 13 
			 2011-12 17

Health Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what NHS spending per head of population in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber was in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: Information on national health service spending per head of population in the Brigg and Goole constituency is not collected centrally. Expenditure per head for all primary care trusts in NHS Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five financial years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 NHS Yorkshire and the Humber 
			  £ 
			 2007-08 1,466 
			 2008-09 1,535 
			 2009-10 1,643 
			 2010-11 1,708 
			 2011-12 1,738 
			 Source: Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules.

Heart Diseases: Children

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) total and (b) non-legal costs to his Department has been of legal processes as a result of the Safe and Sustainable Review to date.

Anna Soubry: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Heart Diseases: Children

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs there have been to individual parties arising from the Safe and Sustainable Review in each year for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Heart Diseases: Children

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost to the public purse was of legal action in relation to the Safe and Sustainable Review.

Anna Soubry: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Heart Diseases: Children

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost to the public purse is of the Independent Review Panel looking at the Safe and Sustainable consultation procedure to date.

Anna Soubry: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Horse Meat

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the industry samples tested for horsemeat contamination were tested outside of the UK.

Anna Soubry: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not hold this information. The FSA cannot recommend or advocate to industry any particular laboratory for the analysis of meat products for the presence of horse DNA. The FSA can confirm however, that some industry testing has been undertaken outside of the United Kingdom.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking against NHS foundation hospitals that are missing their accident and emergency waiting time targets.

Anna Soubry: The Department has asked Monitor, the NHS Trust Development Authority and NHS England to work together so that all local health economies ensure patients are treated, admitted or discharged within four hours of arriving at an accident and emergency department.

Learning Disability: Death

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the report, Confidential Inquiry into Premature Deaths of People with Learning Disabilities; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: This important and sobering report highlights, yet again, the inequalities that people with learning disabilities face with regard to their health and care. It is just not acceptable that people with learning disabilities have such a high risk of dying prematurely and the recommendations by the Confidential Inquiry give us a clear indicator of the areas that need to be tackled.
	We will respond to the report's recommendations shortly. The findings from this report will also feed into the work going on to address the issues identified from the Winterbourne View scandal and the final report from the Francis Inquiry into Care provided by Mid-Staffordshire NHS Trust. We have already taken steps to clamp down on poor care and make sure that local services take action to deliver high quality care and support for people with learning disabilities and their families.
	Only constant vigilance and a culture of care will help to prevent further, avoidable death. Clinicians, managers, commissioners and regulators need to make sure people and families are listened to and that their concerns are acted on.

Measles: Swansea

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) vaccinated and (b) unvaccinated people have contracted the disease during the recent measles outbreak in Swansea.

Anna Soubry: This is a matter for the Ministers of the Welsh Government.

Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what talking therapies are available for patients who have not yet developed a mental illness but are in danger of developing a mental illness in the future.

Anna Soubry: Patients who have sub clinical levels of depression and anxiety are described as not at ‘clinical caseness’ when they are assessed. However, they can still benefit from psychological therapies. This would usually take the form of low intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy interventions. In 2012, Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services treated 43,280 patients who were below clinical caseness at assessment. This number is equivalent to just below 12% of total treatment completers.
	The mental health strategy for England, No health without mental health, further underpinned by the Mental Health Implementation Framework, sets out how mental health across the population can be improved. Organisations such as Public Health England are there to provide advice and support on improving population health and wellbeing. In 2013, Public Health England and the Department will jointly publish reviews of evidence for population health and wellbeing.

NHS: Social Enterprises

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps his Department has taken to integrate social enterprise into the delivery of services within the NHS.

Norman Lamb: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Nurses

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses were employed in England in the 2012-13 financial year; and what forecasts he has made of the numbers that will be employed in each of the next three years.

Daniel Poulter: The latest monthly workforce statistics published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that in January 2013 there were 308,483 full time equivalent qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed by the National Health Service in England. The numbers do not include primary care nurses.
	We are advised by Health Education England (HEE) that forecasts will have been made by individual NHS provider organisations for the purpose of informing the local training decisions of the former strategic health authorities (SHAs). No aggregate forecast was required of the SHAs and as such there are no national figures. HEE and its Local Education and Training Boards were established as a Special Health Authority on 1 April 2013 and will work with their local trusts to understand their forecasts and provide the appropriate education and training response. HEE will shortly publish planning guidance to facilitate this process.

Nurses

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the nurse-to-bed ratio was in the NHS in England in 2012-13; and what forecasts he has made of that ratio in the next three years.

Daniel Poulter: The latest data available shows that in Quarter 3 of 2012-13 the ratio of acute, elderly and general nurse full time equivalents (FTEs) to occupied general and acute beds open overnight was 1.84. No central forecast has been made of the nurse to bed ratio in the next three years. Local healthcare organisations, with their knowledge of the patients that they serve, are best placed to plan and deliver a workforce appropriate to the needs of their patients, based on clinical need and sound evidence.
	Compassion in Practice: Nursing, Midwifery and Care Staff - Our Vision and Strategy demonstrates the commitment to ensure that we have the right staff, with the right skills in the right place by overseeing the development of evidence based staffing levels.
	Although having an appropriate level of staffing is important, Compassion in Practice emphasises the importance of releasing existing nurses from administrative tasks so that they can focus on providing quality care. In addition, having an appropriate environment, leadership and staff experience is vital.
	Compassion in Practice also recommends that trust boards publish information on staffing twice a year.

Pancreatic Cancer

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that patients with pancreatic cancer are not being given conflicting information by healthcare professionals.

Anna Soubry: The mandate to NHS England requires it to deliver continued improvements in relation to patients’ experience of care, including cancer care.
	In 2001, the Department published “Improving Outcomes in Upper Gastro-intestinal Cancers”. This guidance sets out recommendations on the treatment, management and care of patients with upper gastro-intestinal cancers, including pancreatic cancer. It emphasises the importance of effective communication with patients and between health care professionals. The guidance continues to support commissioned cancer services.
	Through the 2010 and 2011-12 national cancer patient experience surveys, published in August last year, the Department has continued to monitor patients’ experience of national health service cancer care.
	According to the report of the 2011-12 survey, 73% of patients with upper gastro-intestinal cancer never thought they were given conflicting information. The survey results are helping trusts to identify areas in cancer care that need improvement locally and to raise standards across the service.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish details of all (a) his Department's and (b) its non-departmental public bodies' existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Daniel Poulter: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the timetable is for the completion of the Radiotherapy Clinical Reference Group's review of the availability of selective internal radiotherapy treatment to NHS patients;
	(2)  what criteria will be considered by the Radiotherapy Clinical Reference Group in its review of the availability of selective internal radiotherapy treatment to NHS patients;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of NHS cancer patients who will no longer receive selective internal radiotherapy treatment;
	(4)  how new NHS patients can access selective internal radiotherapy treatment (SIRT) while the Radiotherapy Clinical Reference Group carries out its review of the availability of SIRT.

Anna Soubry: NHS England is now responsible for the commissioning of radiotherapy services. As there is currently no national clinical consensus on effectiveness of selective internal radiotherapy (SIRT), it is not routinely funded by NHS England.
	The Radiotherapy Clinical Reference Group, established by NHS England to provide expertise and advice on radiotherapy services, is in the process of agreeing its work programme for 2013-14. An assessment of the latest clinical evidence underpinning SIRT will be a priority in order to inform a commissioning policy statement, but no timetable for this has yet been set.
	A clinical trial investigating the use of SIRT as first line treatment for patients with unresectable liver-only or liver-predominant metastatic colorectal cancer is currently open at 29 centres in the United Kingdom. National health service patients may participate in the trial, subject to meeting the relevant trial criteria.
	On 1 April 2013, NHS England took on responsibility for the operational management of the Cancer Drugs Fund. NHS patients who were receiving SIRT paid for through the Cancer Drug Fund prior to April 1 will continue to have this treatment funded.
	No estimate has been made of the number of NHS cancer patients who will no longer receive SIRT.

Radiotherapy

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of the distance a cancer patient must travel from their homes to receive radiotherapy on the average survival rate period of those patients.

Anna Soubry: No assessment has been made of the effect of the distance a cancer patient must travel from their homes to receive radiotherapy on the average survival rate period of those patients.
	The National Radiotherapy Advisory Group (NRAG) report “Radiotherapy: developing a world class service for England”, published in 2007, stated that 45 minutes travel time should be seen as best practice, although it recognised that this is not achievable in all areas. The report also found the vast majority of the population already live within 45 minutes of a radiotherapy centre. A copy of this report has already been placed in the Library.
	From April 2013 NHS England holds the direct commissioning responsibility for all radiotherapy services and provides assistance with patient transport where an individual may be too ill or have access needs that would make the use of their own, or public, transport inappropriate.

Radiotherapy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2013, Official Report, column 912W, on radiotherapy, how much of the £300 million fund has now been spent on (a) new cardiac devices and (b) new radiotherapy equipment; who manufactured the new radiotherapy equipment purchases from the fund; and which hospitals have acquired new radiotherapy equipment purchased from this fund.

Daniel Poulter: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals his Department engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at such consultations;
	(2)  how many members of his Department's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of this work;
	(3)  what meetings he or his officials have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting;
	(4)  what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and how much any such consultancy has cost.

Daniel Poulter: Work on the Scotland analysis programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. There is a small team in HM Treasury co-ordinating the programme. As the programme largely relates to reserved areas of policy, the Department of Health is not actively involved in the analysis.

Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what service provision the National Commissioning Board will allocate funding to sexual assault referral centres in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: Funding and commissioning the health aspects of sexual assault referral centres are now matters for NHS England, working in partnership with police forces and local authority commissioners on forensic recovery and local victim support services respectively. For the current financial year, £9 million revenue has been allocated for spending by NHS England on sexual assault services. This is in addition to an estimated total spend of £10 million for all police forces in England for sexual assault referral centres.
	£1.72 million per year funding has been allocated for Independent Sexual Violence Advisers by the Home Office until 2014-15 and £4 million by the Ministry for Justice for rape support centres, until 2013-14.

Tobacco: Retail Trade

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to announce the Government's decision on the introduction of standardised packaging for tobacco.

Anna Soubry: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne North (Catherine McKinnell) on 18 March 2013, Official Report, column 538W.

Voluntary Organisations

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total value of public service contracts that have been awarded by (a) his Department and (b) NHS bodies to voluntary sector organisations in each year since 2008-09.

Daniel Poulter: The total value of voluntary sector organisations' contracts for the Department, in each financial year since 2008-09, is contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Table 1: Department of Health 
			  Total healthcare purchased from voluntary sector organisations (£000) 
			 2008-09 13,679 
			 2009-10 41,049 
			 2010-11 34,886 
			 2011-12 39,779 
			 Source: The data is drawn from the Department of Health Business Management System 
		
	
	In July 2008, the Department implemented a new business management system which collects enhanced detail on the categorisation, purpose and value of orders. This has now given the Department the scope to be more specific about the nature of each of the consultancy commissions.
	The total costs of health care purchased from voluntary sector organisations by primary care trusts, in each financial year since 2008-09 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Table 2: National health service bodies 
			  Total healthcare purchased from voluntary organisations (£000) 
			 2008-09 512,625 
			 2009-10 553,742 
			 2010-11 593,045 
			 2011-12 594,107 
			 Source: Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 
		
	
	2012-13 information for both the Department and NHS bodies will not be available until the Department's summarised annual accounts are published later in 2013.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 27 February 2013, Official Report, column 542W, on arts, how many full-time equivalent civil servants in her Department have worked on the creative industries in each of the last three years; and what proportion of their time was spent on arts projects.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport deploys staff flexibly across a range of projects and priorities. Eight full-time members of staff are deployed on projects that include work on the creative industries, but we do not hold information in relation to previous years. There are separate allocations of staff for arts projects.

Betting Shops: Licensing

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many licensing authorities visited a licensed betting office following a complaint between April 2011 and March 2012.

Hugh Robertson: Based on the annual returns made by licensing authorities to the Gambling Commission, licensing authorities made 45 visits to licensed betting premises, following a complaint between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012.
	We have recently published this information as part of an official statistic, based on annual returns by local licensing authorities, which can be found at:
	http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/licensing_authorities/information_for_licensing_auth/la_returns.aspx

Equal Opportunities

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to publish the Diversity and Equality Strategy.

Helen Grant: The Government published “The Equality Strategy—Building a Fairer Britain” on 21 June 2011. A progress report was published on 22 May 2012.

Mobile Phones

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which company holds the largest contract to provide mobile telephony services to her Department; how much is paid each year under that contract; how many individual devices are covered by the contract; when the contract was awarded; and when and how the contract will next be reviewed.

Hugh Robertson: O2 holds the largest contract to provide mobile telephony services to DCMS. The only information we have available regarding spend is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2012 103,421.51 
			 2011 69,650.92 
			 2010 44,836.96 
			 2009 38,340.73 
			 2008 73,959.11 
		
	
	The current device count is 269. The initial contract was first awarded in 2002, has been renewed since, and is due to be reviewed in the new financial year.

Olympic Games 2012

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent representations she has received on the operation of Olympic marketing licences; and what discussions she has had with her ministerial counterparts in other departments in relation to these licences.

Hugh Robertson: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller) and I have received four letters and 21 parliamentary questions on this topic. Ministers within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly meet colleagues in other departments to discuss a range of matters.

Olympic Games 2012

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, column 1031W, on Olympic games 2012, what the (a) size, (b) sector and (c) region is of each firm which has had an application for an Olympic marketing licence rejected because (i) it does not meet the eligibility criteria for the scheme and (ii) the company provided goods or services which fall within an excluded category.

Hugh Robertson: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Olympic Games 2012

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the estimated underspend is of the budget for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Hugh Robertson: In October 2012, we estimated an underspend against the £9,298 million Public Sector Funding Package (PSFP), of £377 million. We will publish an update in June 2013, when the majority of the final claims, in respect of games-time operations, have been settled. We expect the figures to show a further increase in underspend against the PSFP.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Hugh Robertson: The requirements of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 have been translated into the Department's procurement policy, which has been communicated to all staff. It is anticipated that these considerations will take place at the pre-procurement stage of future tendering exercises.

Redundancy Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible received payments under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last five years; and at what total cost in each such year.

Hugh Robertson: The total number of officials in DCMS, who received a payment under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last five years and the total cost in each such year, is as follows:
	
		
			  Total costs (£) Number of officials 
			 2011-12 1,906,281 26 
			 2010-11 2,891,000 44 
			 2009-10 0 0 
			 2008-09 0 0 
			 2007-08 0 0 
		
	
	In line with cross-Government cost cutting measures, DCMS initiated a voluntary redundancy scheme in September 2010 and in September 2011. These schemes have been instrumental in the department achieving a 50% reduction in its administration budget.
	We do not hold central records for each of the non-department public bodies.

Senior Civil Servants

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 24 January 2013, Official Report, columns 384-5W, on senior civil servants, what proportion of senior officials have (a) resigned, (b) taken voluntary retirement, (c) left for alternative employment, (d) been dismissed, (e) taken long-term sick leave and (f) taken administrative leave since May 2010.

Hugh Robertson: The proportion of senior officials who have (a) resigned, (b) taken voluntary retirement, (c) left for alternative employment, (d) been dismissed, (e) taken long-term sick leave and (f) taken administrative leave since May 2010, for each financial year to date, is as follows:
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Financial year 
			  2012-13(1) 2011-12 2010-11(2) 
			 Resignation 0 0.2 0 
			 Voluntary retirement 0.67 0.88 1.24 
			 Left for alternative employment 1 0.44 0.41 
			 Dismissed 0 0 0 
			 Taken long term sick 0 0 0 
			 Taken administrative leave 0 0 0 
			 (1) To date (2) Since May 2010

Sports: Schools

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effect of the removal of specific requirements for outdoor space in schools on her plans to create a sporting habit for life; and if she will make a statement.

David Laws: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Education.
	The new School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 were only introduced in October 2012, and have sought to introduce a common sense approach under which schools should have enhanced freedom to determine what is suitable for their individual circumstances.
	Advice issued in November 2012 includes new area guidelines recommending how much playing field space a school needs. For the first time, this formula will take into account the space needed for all the activities in the school's physical education (PE) curriculum and for outdoor play.
	Competitive team and individual sports are at the heart of the draft programme of study for PE, released for consultation in February and scheduled to be introduced in schools for first teaching in September 2014.
	In addition to this, through our support for the School Games, we will ensure that a range of competitive sporting opportunities are in place for all schools who sign up for it, as over 10,000 schools have already done.
	As with all new regulations the Department for Education will continue to review the impact the changes have had on schools.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing: Worcester

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new properties have been made available (a) in the affordable rented sector and (b) via shared ownership in Worcester in each of the last 15 years; and how many such properties received direct Government support.

Mark Prisk: The information requested has been placed in the Library of the House.

Air Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies travelled on (i) domestic and (ii) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year.

Brandon Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Brandon Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Compulsory Purchase

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what plans he has to reform the compulsory purchase system; and if he will make this reform a priority for his Department;
	(2)  what representation he has received on conflict and delays in the compulsory purchase system;
	(3)  what assessment his Department has made of the Country Land and Business Association proposals for reform of the compulsory purchase system;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of how delays and disputes in the compulsory purchase system will affect plans regarding High Speed 2.

Nicholas Boles: We are keeping the operation and effectiveness of the compulsory purchase system under review, working closely with interested parties such as the Compulsory Purchase Association. We have taken a number of important steps to improve the effectiveness of the system, through changes introduced in the Localism Act 2011 and the Growth and Infrastructure Bill.
	We are considering the case for further improvements as part of work on the Red Tape Challenge on planning administration and Lord Taylor's review of planning guidance. In doing so, we are taking relevant representations into account, including the Country Land and Business Association's Fair Play Report and submissions made by the Compulsory Purchase Association to the Growth and Infrastructure Bill Committee.
	The Department has carefully considered these proposals. We believe that both the compulsory purchase system and the Compensation Code are inherently fair. They are based on statute and case law, which ensures laws adapt to changing circumstances. We do recognise some of the problems highlighted by the report, such as advance payments and access to an easier form of dispute resolution, which we believe can be addressed through our current work on guidance and regulations.
	The powers to deliver the proposed High Speed 2 railway, including those of compulsory purchase, will be sought via a hybrid Bill. Rules and procedures relating to compulsory purchase will be adhered to and we do not expect this to cause any delay to the project.

Computers

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) desktop computers, (b) laptop computers and (c) tablet devices his Department has purchased in the last two years.

Brandon Lewis: Departmental records show that in 2011-12 my Department purchased (a) two desktop computers (b) three laptop computers and (c) zero tablet devices. In 2012-13 my Department purchased (a) 10 desktop computers (b) 35 laptop computers and (c) one tablet device.
	The Department went through a major restructuring exercise in 2011-12 and as a result significantly reduced its overall headcount, thus enabling existing IT hardware to be re-allocated and reused to best effect and, as a result, this explains the low number of purchases.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

Brandon Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Council Tax

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total tax take from council tax is across the UK; how many households pay council tax; and what the average band D council tax rate is.

Brandon Lewis: The council tax requirement in England for 2013-14 is £23,372 million; this includes £368 million of parish precepts.
	In England, as at 10 September 2012 there were 20,374,000 dwellings recorded as being liable for council tax. A dwelling is a unit of occupancy for council tax purposes as recorded on the Valuation Office Agency's valuation list; it may be occupied by one or more households.
	In England in 2013-14 the average band D council tax for a dwelling occupied by two adults is £1,456.
	Council tax in other parts of the UK are a matter for the devolved Administrations.

EU Grants and Loans

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much and what proportion of the funding allocated to the UK under the European Regional Development Fund has been contractually committed in (a) total and (b) each region.

Brandon Lewis: My Department is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund programmes in England only. The programmes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are managed by the respective Administrations.
	The figures for contractually committed Fund projects in England as at the 31 March are as follows:
	
		
			 ERDF Operational Programme Total Operational Programme allocation Amount of ERDF contractually committed (£ million) Proportion of ERDF allocation contractually committed (%) Proportion of ERDF allocation contractually committed and awaiting contracting (%) 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (Convergence) 378.123 331.934 87.80 90.76 
			 Regional Competitiveness     
			 North East 315.900 246.763 78.13 106.54 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 471.703 348.899 74.07 116.20 
			 North West 633.617 462.774 73.05 106.43 
			 West Midlands 327.940 255.211 77.82 102.27 
		
	
	
		
			 East Midlands 221.409 146.625 66.23 109.42 
			      
			      
			      
			 East of England 91.013 88.307 97.09 110.96 
			 South East 19.505 13.916 71.43 88.37 
			 South West 102.290 79.100 77.34 83.19 
			 London 153.494 134.613 87.72 97.46 
			 Totals/Average proportion committed 2.715 billion 2.108 billion 77.64 104.33 
		
	
	The 2007-13 programme is on course and on track. An average of over 100% of the programme has been contractually committed or is awaiting contracting, with matched funding in place. We are exactly where we would expect to be at this point in the seven-year programme.
	Funds can be allocated until the end of 2013, and funds should be spent by 2015.

Fire Services: Procurement

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to bring forward a legislative reform order to change legislation to allow fire and rescue authorities to contract out their functions.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 5 March 2013, Official Report, column 931W, 7 March 2013, Official Report, column 1121W, and 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 579W, where I have set out my position on supporting locally-led mutualisation. I am supportive of fire and rescue authorities looking at new and innovative ways of delivering their services to best meet the needs of their communities.

Hotels

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies stayed in hotels in (i) the UK and (ii) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones) on 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 219W.
	A breakdown of this information in the format requested is not readily accessible and this, together with the information for the arm’s length bodies which is also not held centrally, could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Housing: Taxation

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department issues on the payment of the affordable housing levy by people renewing planning consent to self-build a house on their own land.

Nicholas Boles: holding answer 17 April 2013
	The Government has not produced specific guidance on the use of affordable housing contributions in Section 106 (of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990) planning obligations.
	The National Planning Policy Framework is absolutely clear that local planning authorities must have regard to economic viability in their consideration of Section 106 obligations and that a Section 106 planning obligation should only be sought where it meets all three of the following tests:
	necessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms;
	directly related to the development; and
	fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the development.
	The Government has introduced reforms to help developers and landowners renegotiate economically unrealistic affordable housing requirements in Section 106 agreements.
	As announced on 15 April 2013, we are also consulting on proposals to exempt self-build from the community infrastructure levy. We are open to representations on planning contributions and self-build.

Immigration

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the additional cost of the delivery of those public services for which his Department is responsible arising from inward migration since 1997.

Mark Prisk: As far as I am aware, a previous comprehensive assessment has not been produced by my Department, and to commission new bespoke research to answer this question would incur disproportionate cost.
	Since May 2010, my Department has published a number of reports commissioned by the previous Administration into immigration. They were placed in the Library of the House further to the written ministerial statements of 1 March 2011, Official Report , columns 19-21WS and 10 October 2011, Official Report , columns 1-5WS.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office recently published a research report from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research on the potential impact of immigration from Bulgaria and Romania on public services. This is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/potential-impacts-on-the-uk-of-future-migration-from-bulgaria-and-romania
	My Department does also hold a copy of a draft of a document prepared for the Migration Impacts Forum in 2007, entitled “Evidence for the social and wider impacts strand of the A2 stock-take”; this includes analysis of migration and the impact on crime, housing, welfare and public services. In the interests of transparency, and given we would otherwise disclose this document in response to any Freedom of Information request, I am placing a copy of this document in the Library of the House.
	As outlined in the recent speech by the Prime Minister, this Government is working to ensure proper controls on immigration, to support those who work hard to get on in life, and to address the ‘pull’ factors that previously led to unsustainable impacts on this country.
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/david-camerons-immigration-speech/

Local Government Finance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the potential effect of reductions in local authority funding on hospital admissions.

Brandon Lewis: Ministers within the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly meet colleagues from other Departments to discuss a range of matters.

Local Government: Social Enterprises

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to encourage local authorities to use social enterprises in the supply of public goods.

Brandon Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Local Government: Social Enterprises

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department has taken to encourage local authorities to use social enterprises in the delivery of services.

Brandon Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Help to Buy equity loan scheme will be open to (a) citizens of other EU member states and (b) other non-UK citizens.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 25 March 2013
	For both social housing and home ownership schemes, we want greater priority to be given to local residents and members of the armed forces. We want to ensure that housing support is focused on supporting those who have worked hard and paid their taxes, and end the 'something for nothing' culture.
	In our approach to revising the rules on access to such schemes, we are carefully taking into account the restrictions and obligations that stem from EU directives. We will be making a further statement in due course on the steps we will be taking.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether Bulgarian and Romanian citizens entering the UK after January 2014 to exercise their Treaty rights will be eligible to participate in the Help to Buy scheme;
	(2)  whether (a) foreign nationals from outside the EU resident in the UK and (b) EU citizens who exercise Treaty rights to reside in the UK will be able to participate in the Help to Buy scheme.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 15 April 2013
	I refer the right hon. Member to my answer of today, Official Report, PQ 149898.

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties have been repossessed in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each of the last five years.

Helen Grant: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write the hon. Member in due course.

Official Hospitality

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible claimed reimbursements for working lunches and official entertainment in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was in each such year.

Brandon Lewis: I refer my hon. Friend to my answers of 19 December 2012, Official Report, column 837W and of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 220W. Further information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was paid to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year.

Brandon Lewis: Spending on bonuses has fallen from £1,041,144 in the 2009-10 performance year, to £705,130 in 2010-11, and to £544,250 in 2011-12.
	Details of non-consolidated performance related payments for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 performance year are published on the departmental website and can be found at the following links:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-consolidated-performance-related-payments-2011-to-2012
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-consolidated-performance-related-payments-2010-to-2011
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answer to her of 22 October 2010, Official Report,
	column 925W, for figures since 2006; these are for payments actually paid, rather than for the performance year (producing new historic statistics for performance year could not be done before Prorogation).
	The Department does not centrally hold information on bonus payments for its non-departmental public bodies; performance bonus payments for DCLG executive agencies for 2010-11 and 2011-12 can be found at the links given above.
	The 20 largest payments in DCLG in respect of the 2011-12 performance year are shown in the following table. All the payments shown were to members of the senior civil service.
	
		
			 Number of officials Value (£) 
			 1 13,500 
			 5 11,250 
			 19 9,000 
		
	
	The 20 largest payments made in DCLG in respect of the 2010-11 performance year are shown in the following table. All the payments shown were to members of the senior civil service.
	
		
			 Number of officials Value (£) 
			 1 13,500 
			 8 11,250 
			 19 9,000 
		
	
	Other payments in addition to salary are deemed to be in respect of allowances and will be reported as part of another answer to the parliamentary question (DCLG reference 2190 12/13).
	Since 2010-11, this Government has limited senior civil service bonuses to the top 25% of performers (from 65% in previous years). My Department has exercised further restraint by limiting the value of bonus payments to 90% of the civil service maxima.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria are used in (a) his Department and (b) each public body for which he is responsible to determine which officials receive bonus payments.

Brandon Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Planning Permission

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what plans he has to review the effect of the 2012 National Planning Framework on single-practice architects;
	(2)  when he plans to review the effect of his 2012 national planning framework on single property developments;
	(3)  when he plans to review the effect of his 2012 national planning framework on young couples seeking to develop their own home;
	(4)  when he plans to review the effect of his 2012 national planning framework on retired couples seeking to downsize to a new-build bungalow;
	(5)  when he plans to review the effect of his 2012 national planning framework on small and family building companies.

Nicholas Boles: holding answer 18 March 2013
	It is still early days, but 1 would observe:
	Seven out of 10 councils now have published local plans, compared to three out of 10 in May 2010.
	99% of all planning decisions are ‘right first time’: that is they are (a) agreed, (b) rejected and not appealed, or (c) appealed and still rejected.
	The proportion of planning applications being granted is the highest for a decade, at 87% in both 2011-12 and in the most recent quarter.
	The number of appeals being decided by the Planning Inspectorate has fallen slightly (as explained in my answer of 19 March 2013, Official Report, column 627W), meaning more local decision-making.
	Based on Glenigan research, the Home Builders Federation have observed that the number of planning permissions being granted for residential units is at its highest level for five years; planning approval was up 61% year on year and 40% up on the previous quarter; they note the evidence ‘points to potential improvement emerging since the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework last March’ (“Home Builders Federation press release”, 12 March 2013).
	We will continue to review and monitor the broader picture.
	However, major applications are still taking too long, which is why the Government is seeking to work with local authorities to improve their performance. We are also removing unnecessary, uncontroversial applications from the planning system.
	In relation to the community infrastructure levy and self-build, as I indicated to the hon. Member in previous answers, we are currently consulting on the issue and are open to representations.

Private Roads

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued regarding the adoption by local authorities of roads in new housing developments.

Nicholas Boles: The Department for Transport has worked with local authorities to produce a set of model planning conditions that local councils may want to use to ensure that all roads are of a suitable standard of construction should they be adopted.
	In August 2012 the Department for Transport sent the model planning conditions to the Local Government Association to circulate to local planning authorities. These conditions are hosted on the Government's website
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unadopted-private-roads
	and are being monitored by the Government through feedback from local authorities who have used them.
	The Government has not, however, issued guidance on assessing which roads should be adopted as this is a decision that is best taken locally by local authorities.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will publish details of all (a) his Department's and (b) its non-departmental public bodies' existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Brandon Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Public Houses: Scotland

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Part 9, section 179 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 which requires new applicants for pub licences in Scotland to publish information on disabled access and facilities.

Brandon Lewis: The Department has made no assessment of the Act. However, the Government recognises the importance of ensuring equal access to services for people with disabilities and encourages their involvement in service planning and design.
	The Department continues to support the Changing Places Campaign which is proving effective in driving up provision of these important toilet facilities and we have recently updated Part M (Access to and use of Buildings) of the Building Regulations to highlight where changing places are needed and link to guidance available from the campaign website. We are continuing to work with industry and members of the Changing Places Campaign to develop a range of initiatives including a joint project to map the location of Changing Places toilets across the UK.

Redundancy Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible received payments under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last five years; and at what total cost in each such year.

Brandon Lewis: The Department publishes information on the number and cost of staff leaving under a voluntary exit scheme in its Annual Report and Accounts which can be viewed at
	www.gov.uk/dclg
	The civil service compensation scheme was reformed in December 2010. Under the previous terms there could be costs extending for up to 10 years after a departure. The revised terms mean all of the costs now fall within the year of departure. The National Audit Office has estimated that the changes have reduced exit costs by around 40% to 50% across the whole of the scheme compared to the previous terms. The reformed scheme allows for greater distinction between voluntary and compulsory exits and is designed to encourage voluntary rather than compulsory departures.
	The information published on the use of the compensation scheme changed between the publication of the 2009-10 and 2010-11 account, in the 2009-10 accounts and before the reference is to early departure costs whereas the reference now is to exit packages.
	The 2012-13 Annual Report and Accounts will be published shortly.
	Based on current estimates, the DCLG Group is reducing its annual running costs by 41% in real terms by 2014-15. This equates to net savings of at least £532,000,000 over this spending review period.
	Our departmental audited annual accounts for the core Department show that total staff costs fell from £216 million in 2009-10 to £109 million in 2011-12; this is an annual saving of £107,000,000.

Regulation

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many and which regulations his Department has repealed between 1 June 2012 and 31 January 2013; and what estimate he has made of the savings which will accrue to those affected by each such regulation as a result of its repeal;
	(2)  how many regulations his Department introduced between 1 June 2012 and 31 January 2013; and what the anticipated cost of each such regulation is.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 25 February 2013
	The Fourth and Fifth Statements of New Regulation published by my Department shows that we will reduce the overall burden of regulation on business by £15.18 million in the period from 1 June 2012 to 31 January 2013. Over the five Statements of New Regulation, we estimate that the measures we are introducing this year will lead to cost savings to businesses of £50.32 million per year. As a Department we are continuing to reduce burdens to businesses.
	Statutory instruments should not necessarily be viewed as regulations—they are pieces of secondary legislation which ensure policy and functional measures have parliamentary scrutiny and oversight. In this period, my Department issued 16 statutory instruments. 12 of those revoked previous statutory instruments. In total, six were deregulatory; Between them these six statutory instruments revoked 33 previous instruments. The remainder of statutory instruments in this period either had no quantifiable impact on the private and voluntary sectors or were consequential amendments and commencement orders. A list has been placed in the Library of the House. On this basis, one could notionally assert that 33 regulatory measures have been removed and none introduced which will be a financial cost to business.

Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals his Department engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at such consultations;
	(2)  how many members of his Department's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of this work;
	(3)  what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting;
	(4)  what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and how much any such consultancy has cost.

Brandon Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Social Rented Housing: Asbestos

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will run an awareness campaign aimed at social tenants to tackle the problem of individuals removing asbestos from their own homes.

Mark Prisk: This is an important issue and Government recognises the risk that improperly removed asbestos poses to tenants and others. There are regulatory standards applied to social landlords that require they ensure homes are free of category 1 hazards (as determined under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System) such as could arise from damaged asbestos, which should help reduce this risk. While we do not have any current plans to run an awareness campaign the Department will keep the situation under review.

Social Rented Housing: Electrical Safety

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will consider adding to the decent homes standard a requirement to upgrade electrical installations over 30 years old;
	(2)  whether the requirements of the decent homes standard in respect of electrical installations are reviewed regularly.

Mark Prisk: The Decent Homes Standard already includes an assessment of risk against the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) as well as stating that the property should be in a reasonable state of repair and provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort—all of these criteria should take account of electrical installations.
	We have no plans to review the Decent Homes Standard as the Government does not consider there is any need to add a specific requirement to upgrade electrical installations over 30 years old.

Social Security Benefits

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effect on local authorities of the decision by the Department for Work and Pensions not to externally advertise the availability of short-term benefit advances to claimants.

Brandon Lewis: My Department has had numerous discussions with the Department for Work and Pensions and local authorities about the reforms to the social fund which were introduced on 1 April 2013, which include the introduction of short-term benefit advances.
	DWP are monitoring the new arrangements and issues raised with them by local authorities, and have issued their staff with additional guidance and provided local authorities with further information (including more detail on the Short Term Benefit Advance rules and processes).

Staff

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many days of work were carried out by officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies on average in each of the last five years; and what the total salary cost was of officials in each year.

Brandon Lewis: Full-time staff in the Department are expected to attend on average 220 working days per year. This excludes weekends, public and privilege leave and annual leave.
	The total salary costs for civil servants employed by DCLG are shown in the Annual Report and Accounts which can be viewed at
	www.gov.uk/dclg
	The Annual Report and Accounts also contains summary information on staff numbers.
	The Department does not hold the information centrally for each of the last five years in respect of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, however workforce management information is now published monthly and shows the breakdown of staff numbers and the salary costs for the central Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies. These returns can also be viewed at
	www.gov.uk/dclg
	Based on current estimates, the DCLG Group is reducing its annual running costs by 41% in real terms by 2014-15. This equates to net savings of at least £532,000,000 over this spending review period.
	Our departmental audited annual accounts for the core department show that total staff costs fell from £216 million in 2009-10 to £109 million in 2011-12; this is an annual saving of £107,000,000.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to increase planning protection of the Green Belt in relation to traveller sites.

Brandon Lewis: We have taken a series of steps to increase planning protection of Green Belt and open green spaces:
	We have revoked the last Administration's Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Circular 01/06 on traveller sites. Our new planning guidance on traveller sites, published in March 2012, strengthens protection of the Green Belt and open countryside. It clearly states that “plan-making and decision-taking should protect Green Belt from inappropriate development&#x2-1d;; “traveller sites (temporary or permanent) in the Green Belt are inappropriate development” and “local planning authorities should strictly limit new traveller site development in open countryside” (DCLG, Planning policy for traveller sites, paragraphs 4, 14, 23).
	This is complemented by the strong protection for the Green Belt in the National Planning Policy Framework (e.g. paragraph 14, footnote 9, paragraph 17 and section 9). For the avoidance of doubt, unmet need does not in itself constitute the "very special circumstances" necessary to permit inappropriate development in the Green Belt.
	The last Administration's guidance which pressured councils to compulsory purchase land for traveller sites has been deleted (Circular 01/06, paragraph 35).
	Stronger consideration is now given to the protection of local amenity and the local environment amenity (Planning policy for traveller sites, paragraphs 4, 9). Text disregarding local landscape and nature conservation designations has been removed (Circular 01/06, paragraph 53).
	In conjunction with measures in the Localism Act, we have abolished top-down regional targets, scrapped the unelected regional planning quangos and are revoking the last Administration's Regional Strategies. Councils can now plan for traveller site provision in a locally-led way.
	Our planning guidance will help councils in planning enforcement cases against unauthorised development. Guidance restricting the ability to use enforcement action has been removed (Circular 01/06, paragraphs 12, 63).
	The Localism Act gives councils new powers to tackle the intentional abuse of retrospective planning permission (whilst still allowing for the correction of innocent mistakes by householders). .
	We are also giving councils more freedom to use Temporary Stop Notice powers to enable local authorities' to take immediate action against unauthorised caravans; the Town and Country Planning (Temporary Stop Notice) (England) (Revocation) Regulations 2013 comes into force on 4 May.

Visits Abroad

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's budget was for overseas travel for officials and Ministers in 2012-13.

Brandon Lewis: My Department does not hold a budget specifically for overseas travel. All travel costs are met from within the administration budget. The following table sets out the amount spent on overseas travel by the Department for each financial year from 2009 to 2013. The figure for 2009-10 does not distinguish between national and overseas travel because the Department's processes did not distinguish between those categories at that time.
	
		
			 Overseas travel costs 
			 Financial year Amount (£) 
			 2009-10 94,683 
			 2010-11 49,468 
			 2011-12 75,719 
			 2012-13 91,943 
		
	
	In 2011-12, the Department took over additional functions from Government Agencies (e.g. European Regional Development Fund administration) and this, as well as with an increase in air fares in the UK, has resulted in increased overseas travel spend in 2012-13.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government further to his holding reply to question 149898, tabled by the hon. Member for Glasgow North on 20 March 2013 for answer on 25 March 2013, when he intends to reply to that question.

Mark Prisk: PQ 149898 has been answered today.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Air Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials in her (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies travelled on (i) domestic and (ii) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year.

Theresa Villiers: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) her Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Michael Penning: Details of my Department's assets and liabilities are recorded in the annual report and accounts. The most recent such report, for 2011-12, was published in September 2012 and is available in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament. None of my Department's assets are currently scheduled for disposal.
	My Department has two non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. As such bodies are independent of Government, my hon. Friend may wish to write to the Commissions direct on these matters—contact details are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 ALB Status Contact Details 
			 Parades Commission for Northern Ireland Executive NDPB Info@paradescommission.org 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Executive NDPB information@nihrc.org 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Advisory NDPB bcni@belfast.org.uk

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will place in the Library (a) her Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 comprehensive spending review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

Michael Penning: In line with advice provided by HM Treasury in 2010, there was no requirement for my Department to submit this information and therefore the documents requested are not held.

G8

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the costs of hosting the G8 Summit in Fermanagh in June 2013;
	(2)  what discussions have taken place with police forces in Great Britain about security for the G8 Summit in Fermanagh in June 2013.

Theresa Villiers: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Hotels

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials in her (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies stayed in hotels in (i) the UK and (ii) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

Theresa Villiers: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Official Hospitality

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible claimed reimbursements for working lunches and official entertainment in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was in each such year.

Theresa Villiers: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will publish details of all (a) her Department's and (b) its non-departmental public bodies' existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Theresa Villiers: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Scotland

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals her Department has engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at such consultations;
	(2)  how many members of her Department's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and if she will estimate the cost to the public purse of this work;
	(3)  what meetings (a) she and (b) officials in her Department have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting;
	(4)  what work her Department has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and how much any such consultancy has cost.

Theresa Villiers: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

SCOTLAND

Air Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials in his Department travelled on (a) domestic and (b) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year.

David Mundell: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

David Mundell: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Devolution

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals his Department has engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed in that engagement;
	(2)  how many members of his Department's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and at what cost to the public purse;
	(3)  what meetings he or officials in his Department have had with the hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at those meetings;
	(4)  what work his Department has commissioned from external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse.

Michael Moore: Work on the Scotland Analysis programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. There is a small team in the Treasury coordinating the programme and within the Scotland Office a dedicated team of two supports the work of the wider office on the programme. The cost of carrying out the work is being funded from existing departmental budgets in the normal way. The Scotland Office has not commissioned work from external consultants for the programme. Scotland Office Ministers engage with a wide variety of organisations and individuals on all aspects of UK Government business, including the Scotland Analysis Programme. Meetings held by Ministers with external organisations are routinely published as part of the department's quarterly transparency returns and can be found on the Gov.uk website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications

Hotels

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials in his Department stayed in hotels in (a) the UK and (b) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

David Mundell: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Official Hospitality

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials in his Department claimed reimbursements for working lunches and official entertainment in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was in each such year.

David Mundell: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Private Finance Initiative

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which private finance initiative projects relating to his Department have been re-financed in each year since May 2010; what the value is of each such project; what the re-financing gain has been in each such instance; and what amount the relevant government body received from such gain through a (a) lump sum and (b) reduction in the unitary charge.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not been involved in any private finance initiative projects since May 2010.

Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals of the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland has engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at such consultations;
	(2)  how many members of the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of this work;
	(3)  what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at such meetings;
	(4)  what work the Office of the Advocate-General for Scotland has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and how much any such consultancy has cost.

David Mundell: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on air passenger duty on short haul flights within the UK.

Sajid Javid: Air Passenger Duty (APD) rates for short-haul flights for 2013-14 were set out at the 2012 Budget. The APD rates for. 2014-15 were set out at the 2013 Budget. In both cases, rates have increased in line with inflation only. A table of APD rates can be found online here:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/fb2013_ootlar.pdf

Air Passenger Duty: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from Ministers in the Welsh Government on the (a) rate and (b) devolution of airport duty tax.

Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on a wide variety of topics. To support the UK Government's assessment of the recommendations in the Silk Commission's first report “Empowerment and Responsibility: Financial Powers to Strengthen Wales”, an intergovernmental working group has been established comprising officials from the UK and Welsh Governments.

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Sajid Javid: Information relating to the Treasury Groups assets and liabilities can be found in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2011-12. Please refer to the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position (p114) and the related notes for further details.
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/dep_perf_reports_index.htm
	There are no assets currently scheduled for disposal. Those classified as “available for sale” under accounting standards are disclosed in note 13 to the 2011-12 Annual Report and Accounts.

Business: Females

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total number of investments was made with funds from the public purse through the Aspire Fund in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2010-11, (d) 2009-10, and (e) 2008-09; what the total value of those investments was; and how many applications, inquiries and expressions of interest were received by potential applicants in each year from 2008-09 to 2012-13.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The total number of investments made through the Aspire Fund, which co-invests alongside private investors in businesses led by women, was:
	(a) 4 investments totalling £210,977,
	(b) 4 investments totalling £417,995,
	(c) 6 investments totalling £1,201,920,
	(d) 5 investments totalling £1,600,000 and
	(e) No investments.
	The number of inquiries, which also includes applications, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2008-09 56 
			 2009-10 127 
			 2010-11 58 
			 2011-12 5 
			 2012-13 27 
		
	
	The Aspire Fund has recently recruited additional staff to manage new investments in businesses led by women and is open to inquiries from private investors.

Business: Females

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of officials at (a) his Department, (b) other Departments and (c) Government agencies working on administering the Aspire Fund.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The number of officials working on administering the Aspire Fund is as follows:
	(a) 1 at this Department,
	(b) 0 at other Departments and
	(c) 1.5 at Capital for Enterprise Ltd.

Business: Loans

Toby Perkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 176W, on business: loans, if he will review the potential mis-selling of fixed rate loans in addition to the current ongoing investigation into interest rate hedging products.

Sajid Javid: On 31 January 2013 the Financial Services Authority announced the findings of their pilot scheme and the agreement by the banks involved to begin the full review process. The banks concerned have committed to completing these reviews within six months. However, the Financial Conduct Authority does not regulate business lending and fixed rate loans therefore cannot be part of the review.

Capital Gains Tax

Pamela Nash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was raised in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Scotland, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland from capital gains tax by each rate in the most recent period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: Estimates of the receipts raised from capital gains tax (CGT) by UK country for 2011-12 are presented in the following table, the latest year for which receipts are sufficiently final to be published at the UK level. The estimates are based on gains that accrued in 2010-11 but have not been split by rate as the inclusion of a new higher tax rate part way through that year makes it unrepresentative of the breakdown expected in future years.
	
		
			 Estimated CGT receipts by UK country, 2011-12 
			  £ million 
			 England 3,940 
			 Scotland 279 
			 Wales 76 
			 Northern Ireland 42 
			 United Kingdom 4,337

Child Care Vouchers

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will estimate the number of beneficiaries of the existing childcare employer-based tax vouchers in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16 and the level of estimated Government expenditure on such vouchers in each such year;
	(2)  if he will estimate the distributional impact of the existing childcare employer-based tax vouchers in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16 on people in each (i) income decile in the United Kingdom and (ii) nation and region of the United Kingdom.

Sajid Javid: Fewer than 5% of employers offer employees child care vouchers. The number of taxpayers in receipt of child care vouchers is projected to be 550,000 in each of the years 2013-14, 2014-15 and 201 5-16.
	The total value of Government support for child care vouchers to employees and employers through relief from tax and national insurance is projected to be as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2013-14 630 
			 2014-15 600 
			 2015-16 590 
		
	
	Estimates at national, regional and income decile level are not available.
	At Budget 2013 the Government announced a new scheme for tax-free child care for working families which will not depend on provision by employers. It will be phased in from autumn 201 5 and will ultimately be open to around 2.5 million families with children under 12.

Climate Change

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent representations he has had from the Climate Change Committee on climate change and the UK economy; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what advice he has sought from the Climate Change Committee on (a) the setting of a decarbonisation target, (b) the impact of a decarbonisation policy on the UK economy and (c) other matters.

Sajid Javid: The Committee on Climate Change is a statutory body, established by the 2008 Climate Change Act. As stated in the Act, the Government is required to take account of the advice of the Committee on matters relating to Carbon Budgets and the 2050 emissions target. The Committee's latest advice was in relation to the UK's progress against its Carbon Budgets, and energy policy.

Consumers: Expenditure

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) rising energy bills and (b) inflation on consumer spending levels in the UK.

Sajid Javid: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts, and published a new forecast for the UK alongside the Budget in its March 2013 ‘Economic and fiscal outlook’. The OBR forecast includes an assumption for rises in domestic energy prices of 7% in 2013 and 3% in 2014. This assumption informs an assessment of the effect of these rises in domestic energy prices on inflation and consumer spending.

Devolution: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received from the Welsh Government on implementing the findings of the Commission on Devolution in Wales.

Danny Alexander: Treasury Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Welsh Government on a wide variety of topics. To support the UK Government's assessment of the recommendations in the Silk Commission's first report “Empowerment and Responsibility: Financial Powers to Strengthen Wales”, an intergovernmental working group has been established comprising officials from the UK and Welsh Governments.

Environment Protection

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will produce a report on his Department's assessment of the economic consequences to (a) the Government and (b) the UK economy of meeting the existing carbon reduction targets for 2050; and what assessment he has made of the (i) most cost effective and (ii) most advantageous to the UK economy methods of meeting this target.

Sajid Javid: The 2011 Carbon Plan sets out Government’s assessment of the economic costs of the measures that Government may consider implementing to meet the first four Carbon Budgets in the most cost-effective manner. Measures to meet future Carbon Budgets on the way to our 2050 target will be considered in due course when those Carbon Budgets are set.

Environment Protection

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will publish all correspondence (a) he and (b) other HM Treasury Ministers have received from (i) energy companies, (ii) investor companies and representative bodies, (iii) renewables and low-carbon energy businesses, (iv) trade bodies, (v) civil society organisations and (vi) all bodies who have (A) written to and (B) made representations on decarbonisation, the setting of targets for decarbonising energy generation and the economic effects of both policies;
	(2)  what meetings he has had on (a) the setting of a decarbonisation target and (b) the economic effects of such a policy;
	(3)  what meetings (a) he and (b) ministerial colleagues have had with (i) oil companies, (ii) gas companies, (iii) coal companies, (iv) representatives of the shale gas industry, (v) nuclear power companies and (vi) renewable and low-carbon energy businesses and their investors since he took office; and if he will publish the dates of any such meetings;
	(4)  what proportion of (a) correspondence and (b) other representations he has received on fiscal and other economic measures have supported the energy generation sector; and which (i) companies, (ii) bodies and (iii) organisations have indicated to him their support for the setting of a decarbonisation target (A) in 2013, (B) in 2014, (C) in 2015, (D) in 2016, (E) at a later date and (F) never;
	(5)  how many meetings he has had with representatives of the renewable and low-carbon energy sector since he took office;
	(6)  what recent representations he has received from (a) energy companies, (b) current and potential energy sector investors, (c) other businesses and (d) trade bodies on his policy on (i) future investment in the energy sector, (ii) fiscal measures relating to renewable and low-carbon energy businesses, (iii) the setting of a decarbonisation target for the UK and (iv) other matters;
	(7)  what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for (a) Energy and Climate Change and (b) Business, Innovation and Skills on (i) energy policy, (ii) the setting of a decarbonisation target for the UK energy sector and (iii) the fiscal effects of both policies.

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials engage with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, both meeting and receiving correspondence from stakeholders, as well as their ministerial colleagues, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations. This is available online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

EU Emissions Trading Scheme: Fraud

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assistance his Department provides to victims of carbon credit investment fraud;
	(2)  whether his Department is taking steps to raise awareness of carbon credit investment fraud;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the amount of carbon credit investment fraud in the UK in each of the last three years.

Sajid Javid: It is difficult to estimate the scale of carbon credit investment fraud in the UK in each of the last three years as these are not regulated products.
	The Government views carbon credit investment fraud as a serious concern and is tackling the problem through an approach that involves co-ordination across the police, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Insolvency Service, Trading Standards and HMRC.
	The FCA provides consumer guidance on carbon credit investment fraud which can be found at the following link:
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/consumerinformation/scamsandswindles/investment_scams/carbon_credit
	The FCA recently carried out a survey of investors to understand the market and the viability of carbon credits as a retail investment product. The results of this survey will be published shortly.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the effect on (a) wine, (b) spirits and (c) beer consumption of the decision to freeze beer duty in Budget 2013; (152445)(2) when calculating estimated income from alcohol duty receipts, what estimates his Department has made of consumption of (a) beer, (b) wine and (c) spirits in the next three years;
	(2)  what estimate his Department uses for taxation purposes of the average strength of wine in the UK.

Sajid Javid: holding answers 22 April 2013
	The estimated effect on wine, spirits and beer consumption of the beer duty cut at Budget 13, is presented in table 1 as follows.
	
		
			 Table 1—Effect of beer duty cut on consumption 
			 Percentage 
			  2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Wine -0.03 -0.04 -0.04 
			 Spirits -0.16 -0.22 -0.23 
			 Beer 2.15 2.90 3.06 
		
	
	The estimates made of consumption of beer, wine and spirits in the next three years used to calculate estimated income from alcohol duty receipts is presented in table 2 as follows.
	
		
			 Table 2—Consumption quantities product 
			 Thousand hectolitre 
			  2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Wine 12,903 13,222 13,789 
			 Spirits 2,646 2,650 2,687 
			 Beer 40,425 39,208 38,207 
		
	
	The average strength of wine is not used to administer the tax. To administer the tax on wine the Government sets duty rates for ranges of Alcohol by Volume (ABV). HM Revenue and Customs then monitor how much duty is paid in each of these categories and therefore the average strength of wine is not required.
	The Government recognises availability of cheap alcohol is a serious issue and remains firmly committed in tackling this issue. The Government will shortly respond to its alcohol consultation, including with proposals to deal with deeply-discounted alcohol in supermarkets and other stores.

Financial Services

Guto Bebb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the Financial Conduct Authority about the timing of redress payments to small and medium-sized enterprises who were found to have been mis-sold interest rate hedging products.

Sajid Javid: On 31 January the Financial Services Authority announced the findings of their pilot scheme and the agreement by all four banks to begin the full review process. This will include the banks and independent reviewers assessing each case to determine whether the sale complied with Financial Conduct Authority regulatory requirements. If it did not, the bank will then have to work with the independent reviewer to consider what level of redress the business should receive.
	The banks concerned have committed to completing these reviews within six months of the start of the review.

Housing: Construction

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to increase the availability of capital finance for new house building for smaller developers; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	The Government has a number of schemes which increase finance for smaller developers. These include the recently launched Help to Buy equity loan scheme, in which around two-thirds of developers registered to participate in the scheme are small to medium-sized enterprises and Get Britain Building, where 44% of the contracts are with small to medium-sized enterprises firms. Our support for people who want to build or commission their own home, including via the Custom Build Homes fund, is an opportunity for smaller firms to play a key role in a market which has good potential to expand.
	Additionally, the Bank of England has just announced that the Funding for Lending scheme will be extended to January 2015 with increased incentives for banks to lend to small to medium-sized enterprises.

Income Tax

Pamela Nash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the evidence given by Mr Robert Chote, Chairman of the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR), to the Finance Committee of the Scottish Parliament on 17 April 2013, if he will ask the OBR to publish the research on estimated income tax revenue for 2016-17 that Mr Chote referred to in his evidence.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 24 April 2013
	Alongside the March 2013 Economic and fiscal outlook, the OBR forecast Scottish tax receipts for a range of taxes, consistent with UK forecasts and policies announced at the Budget. These can be found in the Scottish tax forecasts publication, publically available on the OBR website. This includes analysis of the change in the forecasts. A published methodology note also provides detailed information about how these Scotland-specific forecasts were developed.

Income Tax

Pamela Nash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2013, Official Report, column 177W, on income tax, if he will estimate what proportion of the baseline running costs of HM Revenue and Customs was taken up by the cost of analysis and consideration of evidence referred to in the answer; and how many officials in his Department were engaged in this task.

David Gauke: The cost of analysis of the self-assessment data and consideration of evidence around behavioural responses to the introduction of the 50% additional rate of income tax formed part of HMRC's baseline running costs.
	An estimate of this as a proportion of total HMRC costs is not available.
	No official was occupied on this analysis on a full-time basis, but a number of officials were involved to differing degrees at various stages of the work.

Income Tax

Pamela Nash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was raised in income tax in each rate band in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Scotland, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland in the most recent period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: The income tax liability for the United Kingdom broken down by country and rate of tax is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Income tax 2010-11 by country and rate of tax 
			 £ million 
			  Non-higher rate(2) Higher rate Additional rate Total tax 
			 (a) United Kingdom(1) 93,100 36,300 22,300 152,000 
			      
			 (b) England 78,600 32,100 20,500 131,000 
			 (c) Scotland 7,920 2,340 716 11,000 
			 (d) Wales 3,800 768 104 4,670 
			 (e) Northern Ireland 2,050 459 135 2,640 
			 (1) The sum of the separate countries is less than the UK total. This is mainly because the UK total includes the liability of taxpayer’s resident outside of the UK and to a lesser extent by rounding of the figures to three significant digits. (2) The “non-higher rate” category covers all liabilities at the starting rate, savers rate and the basic rates of tax. Notes: 1. The figures presented and terminology used are comparable to those published in the HMRC National Statistics table 2.6 which is published on the internet at the following address: http://www.hmrc.aov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/table2-6.pdf 2. These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) for 2010-11 which provides the latest outturn data available.

Income Tax: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effects on revenue raised in Scotland from implementing a 1 per cent (a) rise and (b) reduction in income tax, over each rate, in each of the (i) last and (ii) next three years.

David Gauke: The Exchequer costs of changing the basic rate in Scotland by 1 p is provided in Table 1.6 “Direct effects of illustrative tax changes”, available on the HM Revenue and Custom's website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/expenditures/table1-6.pdf
	The Exchequer costs of changing the higher/additional income tax rates in Scotland are not available. Impacts would depend on behavioural responses which are uncertain.

Interest Rate Swap Transactions

Toby Perkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that small businesses receive the compensation due for the mis-selling of interest rate swaps.

Sajid Javid: On 31 January the Financial Services Authority announced the findings of their pilot scheme and the agreement by the banks involved to begin the full review process.
	This will include the banks and independent reviewers assessing each case to determine whether the sale complied with Financial Conduct Authority regulatory requirements. If it did not, the bank will then have to work with the independent reviewer to consider what level of redress the business should receive.
	The banks concerned have committed to completing these reviews within six months of the start of the review.

Interest Rate Swap Transactions

Toby Perkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects those affected by interest rate swap mis-selling to receive compensation.

Sajid Javid: Oh 31 January the Financial Services Authority (FSA) announced the findings of their pilot scheme and the agreement by the banks involved to begin the full review process.
	This will include the banks and independent reviewers assessing each case to determine whether the sale complied with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulatory requirements. If it did not, the bank will then have to work with the independent reviewer to consider what level of redress the business should receive. The banks concerned have committed to completing these reviews within six months of the start of the review.
	The FCA will provide updates on the number of cases where mis-selling occurred, and where compensation has been paid. The first update will likely be published by the FCA over the coming weeks.

Interest Rate Swap Transactions

Toby Perkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount that will be paid out in compensation to small businesses affected by the mis-selling of interest rate swaps.

Sajid Javid: On 31 January the Financial Services Authority (FSA) announced the findings of their pilot scheme and the agreement by the banks involved to begin the full review process.
	This will include the banks and independent reviewers assessing each case to determine whether the sale complied with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulatory requirements. If it did not, the bank will then have to work with the independent reviewer to consider what level of redress the business should receive. The banks concerned have committed to completing these reviews within six months of the start of the review.
	The Government has not made an assessment of possible compensation, however many of the banks have publically reported provisions made for compensation arising from mis-selling.

Interest Rate Swap Transactions

Toby Perkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses have been compensated for the mis-selling of interest rate swaps; and when such businesses received that compensation.

Sajid Javid: On 31 January the Financial Services Authority (FSA) announced the findings of their pilot scheme and the agreement by the banks involved to begin the full review process. This will include the banks and independent reviewers assessing each case to determine whether the sale complied with Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulatory requirements. If it did not, the bank will then have to work with the independent reviewer to consider what level of redress the business should receive. The banks concerned have committed to completing these reviews within six months of the start of the review.
	The FCA will provide updates on the number of cases where mis-selling occurred, and where compensation has been paid. The first update will likely be published by the FCA over the coming weeks.

Loans: EU Countries

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what amount the UK has contributed towards International Monetary Fund and EU bail-outs and other crisis loans to (a) Cyprus, (b) Spain, (c) Portugal, (d) Greece and (e) Ireland over the last five years; and under what repayment terms each of those loans was made.

Greg Clark: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 19 December 2012, which sets out the UK's exposure to existing financial assistance packages to euro area member states.
	For information on the UK's involvement in financial assistance to Cyprus, I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 18 April 2013.

Minimum Wage

John Woodcock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions were brought against companies in each sector of the economy for breaches of minimum wage legislation in each year from 1999 to 2010.

David Gauke: With the agreement of the Department for Business, HMRC started considering prosecution for minimum wage offences from May 2006. The following table contains details of the number of prosecutions, since May 2006, by the Standard Industry Classification applicable to the employer and the financial year in which the prosecution took place.
	
		
			  2007-08 2008-09 2010-11 2012-13 
			 Human Health and Social Work Activities 1 — — — 
			 Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security 1 — — — 
			 Wholesale and Retail Trade — 3 — — 
			 Accommodation and Food Service Activities — 2 — — 
			 Human Health and Social Work Activities — — 1 — 
			 Administrative and Support Service Activities — — — 1

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if the Help to Buy scheme will be available to (a) citizens of other EU member states and (b) non-UK citizens.

Sajid Javid: The equity loan element of Help to Buy is overseen by the Department for Communities and Local Government. I refer the hon. Member to the answer today by the Minister for Housing, my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr Prisk), to PQ 149898.
	Details on the Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee scheme will be announced in due course by HM Treasury.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the proposed mortgage equity scheme can be used to buy properties in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Sajid Javid: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive Barnett Consequentials of the Government's Help to Buy: equity loan scheme, which they can use to implement the same or similar scheme if they so wish.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on house prices of the new mortgage proposals announced in the 2013 Budget.

Sajid Javid: At Budget 2013, the Government announced the Help to Buy mortgage guarantee, which will be available from January 2014. The scheme is a temporary intervention, designed to address the sharp decline in the availability of high loan-to-value lending in the wake of the financial crisis. The Government published a scheme outline alongside the Budget and will be working with industry in the coming months to determine the details of the scheme.
	It is for the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to produce the official economic and fiscal forecasts. These are based on all government policies and take into account the impact of new policies on the economic forecast. The OBR's “Economic and Fiscal Outlook(1)” sets out the key assumptions, conventions and projections underpinning the forecast, including the forecast for house prices. Page 43 of the document states:
	“The Government have announced various measures aimed at improving the supply of UK housing and supporting property transactions. These include an extension and expansion of the Government's Help to Buy scheme, the Right to Buy scheme and the Build to Rent Fund, and the introduction of a Mortgage Equity Guarantee aimed at high loan-to-value mortgages. The expansion of the existing schemes is likely to have a relatively small additional impact on transactions and residential investment. The details and timing of the guarantee scheme have yet to be finalised and it is therefore too early to quantify the likely impact. Overall, however, these measures, alongside the Funding for Lending Scheme, should support the significant growth in property transactions and residential investment that we forecast over the next two years”.
	(1 )http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/March-2013-EFO-44734674673453.pdf

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Dominic Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value was of (a) UK exports of motor vehicle components to the EU and (b) UK imports of motor vehicle components from the EU; and what the value was of (i) UK exports of motor vehicle components to the rest of the world and (ii) UK imports of motor vehicle components from the rest of the world in each of the last 20 years.

Sajid Javid: Data relating to UK trade in motor vehicle components is published from 1996 in the Overseas Trade Statistics by HM Revenue and Customs, which is available in the Library of the House and via:
	www.uktradeinfo.com
	Motor vehicle components fall within a variety of Commodity Codes, including codes within Chapters 84 and 87. However, some components may have multiple uses (i.e. not just for motor vehicles).
	From 2006, trade in motor vehicle components with EU countries up to a value of £600 is aggregated under a single Commodity Code (9990 8700).

Private Finance Initiative

Pamela Nash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list each private finance initiative project initiated since May 2010; and what the monetary value is of each project.

Danny Alexander: HM Treasury publishes information on PFI projects on its website. This information was last updated on 31 March 2012 using data submitted by Government Departments to HM Treasury. This information can be accessed from the Treasury website at
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pfi_projects_in_procurement_march_2012.xls
	Between 1 May 2010 and 31 March 2012, 4 PFI projects initiated a formal OJEU process. This includes Avon and Somerset Police Authority (£71 million), Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust (£90 million), Hull City Council Extra Care Housing and Centre of Excellence for People with Dementia (£45 million) and Stoke Housing (£65 million).

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish details of all (a) his Department's and (b) its non-departmental public bodies' existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury's non-departmental public bodies do not hold any contracts with third party suppliers with a value over £100,000. Details of HM Treasury Group's contracts, in alphabetical order, will be deposited in the Library of the House.
	HM Treasury's central contract records do not separately record whether contracts contain break points or early release clause. The collation of this information for all contracts can be undertaken only at a disproportionate cost.
	Since January 2011, central Government Departments are required to publish contracts awarded to suppliers on ‘Contracts Finder’
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/
	Contracts awarded prior to January 2011 are not included.

Redundancy Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible received payments under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last five years; and at what total cost in each such year.

Sajid Javid: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Leavers under Voluntary Exit Schemes 
			  1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 1 April 2012 to 31 December 2012 
			 H M Treasury and Debit Management Office 5 (1)— 15 24 15 
			 (1) Fewer than 5. 
		
	
	Numbers for HM Treasury and the Debit Management Office have been combined—we do not give details where they amount to less than five and there is a risk that individuals may be identified.
	From 2010-11, Government Departments are required to report the use of exit packages in their resource accounts. Details of payments for 2010-11 and 2011-12 can be found in HM Treasury's annual report and accounts for 2011-12 page 82 table 7d.
	Figures for prior years could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	The civil service compensation scheme was reformed in 2010. Under the previous terms there could be costs extending for up to 10 years from a departure while under the reformed scheme all of the costs fall within the year of departure. The NAO have estimated that under the reformed scheme, exits cost around 40% to 50% less than the previous compensation scheme in place before the general election. In addition the reformed scheme allows for greater distinction between voluntary and compulsory exits and is designed to encourage voluntary rather than compulsory departures.

Renewable Energy

Andrew George: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of investor and financial market confidence in the renewable and low-carbon energy sector.

Sajid Javid: Government introduced the Energy Bill to Parliament in November 2012, seeking to deliver electricity market reforms to support low-carbon investment. On publication of the Bill, the Government also set a cap on the level of support for low carbon electricity generation out to 2020 of £7.6 billion (real 2012 prices).
	The Bill, on track for Royal Assent by the end of 2013, puts in place measures to attract the investment which is needed to replace current generating capacity and upgrade the grid by 2020, and to cope with rising electricity demand. It will provide long-term certainty for investors in all forms of generation.

Revenue and Customs: Complaints

Toby Perkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that complaints and queries from businesses to HM Revenue and Customs can be made easily and quickly via email.

David Gauke: HMRC has over 100 electronic contact services available to customers that offer a structured and secure means of communicating with HMRC through its website and we are looking at doing even more.
	In the autumn statement HMRC announced it will allow small business customers to access their tax accounts, transact and interact with HMRC using secure digital channels. HMRC is designing the service in such a way that the majority of customers’ needs can be met easily, quickly and simply without recourse to costly communication channels. As such HMRC has completed a ‘use of email’ pilot with Large and Complex customers (ie those with £30 million+ turnover or 250+ staff) using existing HMRC technology and capability which proved very successful. Email is now being used in our day to day processes with these types of customers and the fully redesigned service will go live in April 14.
	HMRC is also developing an eMail Strategy and it is anticipated that this will be delivered during 2013-14 with a supporting implementation plan to integrate eMail use into HMRC for its customers.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals his Department engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting;
	(2)  how many members of his Department's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and at what cost to the public purse;
	(3)  what meetings he or his officials have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting;
	(4)  what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse.

Danny Alexander: Work on the Scotland analysis programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. There is a small team in the Treasury coordinating the programme. The cost of carrying out the work is being funded from existing departmental budgets in the normal way. To date, no consultants have been sought or employed by the Treasury as part of this programme.
	Treasury Ministers and officials engage with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Meetings held or attended by Ministers and senior officials are routinely published as part of the Department's quarterly transparency returns and can be found on the Treasury's website.

Sterling: Scotland

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the use of sterling as currency in an independent Scotland.

Danny Alexander: The Chancellor of the Exchequer has had no discussions with the Scottish Government on the use of sterling as a currency in an independent Scotland.

Tax Evasion and Avoidance

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he plans to take to reduce the amount of revenue lost to the Exchequer through tax evasion and tax avoidance.

David Gauke: In the 2013 Budget the Government announced a wide ranging package of measures to tackle tax avoidance and offshore evasion that are forecast to raise over £4 billion over the next five years. These measures include the UK's first General Anti-Abuse Rule (GAAR), closure of 10 loopholes, and agreements with the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey to increase tax transparency and encourage offshore tax evaders to put their affairs on the right footing.
	At the 2010 Spending Review, the Government reinvested £917 million in HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to tackle tax avoidance, evasion, criminal attack and debt; and invested a further £77 million in the Autumn Statement 2012. HMRC are spending this money on increasing the number of specialists working on compliance, improving their skills and investing in the data and technology that they use to identify and tackle tax avoidance and evasion. By the end of 2014-15, this investment will have contributed to delivering £22 billion a year in extra tax revenues.

Taxation: Environment Protection

Tim Yeo: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on the effect of the Carbon Price Floor on the competitiveness of UK business.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 23 April 2013
	Treasury Ministers and officials engage with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, both meeting and receiving correspondence from stakeholders, as well as their ministerial colleagues, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations. This is available online at
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Valuation Office Agency

Dominic Raab: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's training video entitled, Breaking the code - an aid to understanding dwellinghouse coding.

David Gauke: This historic training video was produced in 1995 and is no longer available to Valuation Office Agency (VOA) staff. It was superseded by the Dwelling House Coding Guide, which was first published on the VOA's website in 2007 and placed in the Library in 2009, and the latest coding guidance is available on the Agency's corporate website:
	http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/publications/DwellingHouseCodingGuide/index.html
	A transcript of the training video will be placed in the Library and I will write to my hon. Friend on the matter of releasing the video.

Welfare Tax Credits

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of (a) individuals and (b) households with an annual income from employment of (i) zero, (ii) zero to £1,000, (iii) £1,000 to £2,000, (iv) £2,000 to £3,000, (v) £3,000 to £4,000, (vi) £4,000 to £5,000, (vii) £5,000 to £6,000, (viii) £6,000 to £7,000, (ix) £7,000 to £8,000, (x) £8,000 to £9,000, (xi) £9,000 to £10,000, (xii) £10,000 to £11,000, (xiii) £11,000 to £12,000, (xiv) £12,000 to £13,000, (xv) £13,000 to £14,000, (xvi) £14,000 to £15,000, (xvii) £15,000 to £16,000, (xviii) £16,000 to £17,000, (xix) £17,000 to £18,000, (xx) £18,000 to £19,000, (xxi) £19,000 to £20,000, (xxii) £20,000 to £21,000, (xxiii) £21,000 to £22,000, (xxiv) £22,000 to £23,000, (xxv) £23,000 to £24,000, (xxvi) £24,000 to £25,000, (xxvii) £25,000 to £26,000, (xxviii) £26,000 to £27,000, (xxix) £27,000 to £28,000, (xxx) £28,000 to £29,000, (xxxi) £29,000 to £30,000, (xxxii) £30,000 to £31,000, (xxxiii) £31,000 to £32,000, (xxxiv) £32,000 to £33,000, (xxxv) £33,000 to £34,000, (xxxvi) £34,000 to £35,000 and (xxxvii) over £35,000, who receive (A) any type of tax credit, (B) working family tax credits and (C) child tax credits;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the average amount paid in (a) any type of tax credit, (b) working family tax credits and (c) child tax credits to (i) individuals and (ii) households with an annual income from employment of (A) zero, (B) zero to £1,000, (C) £1,000 to £2,000, (D) £2,000 to £3,000, (E) £3,000 to £4,000, (F) £4,000 to £5,000, (G) £5,000 to £6,000, (H) £6,000 to £7,000, (I) £7,000 to £8,000, (J) £8,000 to £9,000 (K) £9,000 to £10,000, (L) £10,000 to £11,000, (M) £11,000 to £12,000, (N) £12,000 to £13,000, (O) £13,000 to £14,000, (P) £14,000 to £15,000, (Q) £15,000 to £16,000, (R) £16,000 to £17,000, (S) £17,000 to £18,000, (T) £18,000 to £19,000, (U) £19,000 to £20,000, (V) £20,000 to £21,000, (W) £21,000 to £22,000, (X) £22,000 to £23,000, (Y) £23,000 to £24,000, (Z) £24,000 to £25,000, (AA) £25,000 to £26,000, (BB) £26,000 to £27,000, (CC) £27,000 to £28,000, (DD) £28,000 to £29,000, (EE) £29,000 to £30,000, (FF) £30,000 to £31,000, (GG) £31,000 to £32,000, (HH) £32,000 to £33,000, (II) £33,000 to £34,000, (JJ) £34,000 to £35,000 and (KK) over £35,000 in the latest year for which figures are available.

Sajid Javid: This information is available only at disproportionate cost.
	National Statistics are available for tax credits awards in the 2010-11 tax year on the HMRC website. These figures relate to the finalised awards, and are located here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/fin-main-stats.htm

Welfare Tax Credits

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) individuals and (b) households were eligible to receive (i) any type of tax credit, (ii) working family tax credits and (c) child tax credits in each of the last five years; and if he will estimate the number of such (A) individuals and (B) households in each of the next five years.

Sajid Javid: Information on the number of families claiming tax credits is available in HMRC's published National Statistics, “Child and Working Tax Credits Finalised annual awards”, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/fin-main-stats.htm
	Information on the number of families entitled to, but not claiming, tax credits is available in HMRC's published statistics on take-up rates for tax credits, “Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit Take-up rates”, available here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/fin-takeup-stats.htm
	A breakdown of adults in families who are eligible for WTC is available only at disproportionate cost. A forecast of the number of families eligible to receive tax credits, child tax credit and working tax credit is available only at disproportionate cost.

Welfare Tax Credits

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual cost to the public purse is of administering (a) all tax credits, (b) working family tax credits and (c) child tax credits.

Sajid Javid: The costs of the administration of payments can be found in the HMRC Annual Report at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/annual-report-accounts-1112.pdf

Welfare Tax Credits

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been paid in (a) all tax credits, (b) working family tax credits and (c) child tax credits in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of such amounts in each of the next five years.

Sajid Javid: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			 Annual tax credits expenditure (£ billion) 
			  Total tax credits Child tax credit Working tax credit 
			 Outturn    
			 2008-09 24.1 16.5 7.6 
			 2009-10 27.6 19.6 8.0 
			 2010-11 28.9 20.9 8.0 
			 2011-12 29.8 22.7 7.1 
			 2012-13(1) 29.9 23.3 6.6 
		
	
	
		
			 Forecast    
			 2013-14 30.0 — — 
			 2014-15 30.1 — — 
			 2015-16 30.7 — — 
			 2016-17 31.7 — — 
			 2017-18 32.5 — — 
			 (1) Provisional. 
		
	
	Total tax credits outturn expenditure is taken from published HMRC figures on tax receipts and expenditure, available here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/receipts/receipts-stats.xls
	Total tax credits figures for 2013-14 onwards are forecasts consistent with OBR's Economic and Fiscal Outlook for March 2013:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/economic-and-fiscal-outlook-march-2013/
	The split between child tax credit (CTC) and working tax credit (WTC) for 2008-09 to 2012-13 has been estimated using HMRC administrative data. Estimates for 2008-09 to 2011-12 are consistent with the split between CTC and WTC in published HMRC accounts. The estimate for 2012-13 is based on April 2013 data. Total expenditure forecasts are provided for 2013-14 to 2017-18. Separate estimates of CTC and WTC expenditure are not available.

Welfare Tax Credits

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average amount awarded to households in (a) all tax credits combined, (b) working family tax credits and (c) child tax credits was in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of such sums in each of the next five years.

Sajid Javid: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Average CTC award Average WTC award Average combined award 
			 2006-07 2,642 2,809 3,412 
			 2007-08 2,777 2,946 3,611 
			 2008-09 3,153 3,203 4,104 
			 2009-10 3,415 3,233 4,380 
			 2010-11 3,552 3,217 4,525 
		
	
	The average combined award is higher than the average individual awards since claimants may be in receipt of both types of credit.
	Information on tax credit awards is available in HMRC's published National Statistics, available at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/fin-main-stats.htm
	Forecasts of average amounts are not available.

EDUCATION

Academies

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2012, Official Report, column 325W, on academies, what proportion of the converter academies supporting other schools are supporting (a) another academy and (b) a local maintained school.

Elizabeth Truss: All converter academies supporting another school through formal arrangements to raise performance are supporting other academies. Academies also provide support to other academies and maintained schools through other arrangements. The Department does not hold information on these other arrangements.

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many complaints have been made to his Department about breaches of the civil service code by academy brokers.

Elizabeth Truss: There have been six formal written complaints made to the Department about named academy brokers in the last 12 months.

Academies

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the groups into which school academies are organised are allowed to make a profit on either the services they provide or the running of the schools.

Elizabeth Truss: As charitable trusts, individual academy trusts and multi academy trusts are not permitted to make a profit on goods and or services supplied to their academies. When selecting a company to provide services, the academy trust must follow a fair and open procurement process. Where an academy has a sponsor, the sponsor company may tender for the provision of services 'at cost'. This means that, if successful, the sponsor must provide services 'at cost' and must not charge any element of profit.

Academies

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was spent by academies on contracts with for-profit organisations for school management services or other services in each year since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: Academy trusts are required to prepare and submit audited financial statements in accordance with company and charity law. As with local authority schools, there is no requirement to analyse expenditure to the detailed level which would enable the identification of spend through contract arrangements.

Academies

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure transparency and value for money when an academy opts to contract a for-profit organisation owned by the respective academy group.

Elizabeth Truss: As public sector bodies, academy trusts are expected to comply with public sector procurement rules and to seek best value in purchasing goods and services. The Education Funding Agency ensures there is an appropriate framework on these matters. The academies financial handbook sets out the duties and obligations on academy trusts and these include:
	Personal responsibilities on the academy trust's accounting officer for high standards of probity in the management of public funds.
	Ensuring a competitive tendering process is in place and applied.
	The preparation and publication of audited financial statements provides transparency on the use of public funds and academy trusts are required to disclose details of related party transactions in their financial statements.

Academies

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what for-profit companies are wholly owned by each academy chain or group.

Elizabeth Truss: Academy trusts can establish subsidiary companies to carry on any trade or business for the sole purpose of raising additional funds for the academy trust. This can provide additional revenue for Academies to spend on improving educational outcomes. Academy Trusts and subsidiary companies cannot profit from academies, they are free to raise funds but any surplus must be re-invested according to the charitable object of the trust. Academy Trusts, as a charitable organisation, cannot make a profit.
	Sponsors of Academies must not profit from their relationship with their trusts. Some Academy sponsors have, or chose to set up, companies to bid for contracts to provide services to their trusts. However sponsors or sponsor related bodies who win contracts to deliver services to their trusts must do so only 'at cost' (no profit must be made). Academy Trusts have been able to set up subsidiary companies in this way since the first Academy Trusts were set up in 2003.
	From the 2011/12 audited financial statements the list of academy trusts reported owning subsidiary companies will be placed in the Library of the House. The list is based on the position as reported at 31 August 2012.

Academies

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which academies, from which academy groups, have breached their funding agreements since May 2010; when each such breach occurred; and what the reasons for each such breach were.

Michael Gove: Since being established on 1 April 2012, the Education Funding Agency (EFA) has recorded funding agreement breaches by 411 academies or academy trusts. An accurate list of the reasons for each individual breach—which can range from non-compliant complaints processes to late return of audited financial statements—could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Academies

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which academy groups operate in England; and what the (a) number, (b) name and (c) location is of the academies within any such group.

Elizabeth Truss: We have taken academy groups to mean chains of two or more academies. A list of academy chains containing the number, name, and location of their academies has been placed in the House Libraries.

Academies

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what action his Department is able to take against an academy chain that fails to address financial weaknesses.

Elizabeth Truss: Where a chain or multi-academy trust has failed to address financial weaknesses in its operation, a financial notice to improve can be issued, requiring the trust to take action to address the underlying cause(s) of its financial weaknesses.
	The financial notice to improve is a set of conditions that the Education Funding Agency (EFA) would require the trust to meet. It would be customised to the specific trust and its circumstances. The trust would be expected to provide a robust and timely action plan setting out how it will address the issues of concern in response to the financial notice to improve. This would be assessed for adequacy, agreed and monitored by the EFA to ensure compliance. Peer and sector based support options would be explored, such as negotiating the addition of new sponsors, to assist addressing any underlying concerns.
	Ultimately, if a chain or multi academy trust fails to address the financial weaknesses the Secretary of State for Education has intervention powers which are set out in the individual funding agreements, and in the most serious circumstances, include the ability to terminate the funding agreement.

Academies

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many academies have been issued with financial notices to improve since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The Education Funding Agency has issued two financial notices to improve since May 2010 to academy trusts.

Academies: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (a) how many and (b) what type of funding agreement violations have been recorded by the Education Funding Agency since May 2010.

David Laws: Since being established on 1 April 2012 the Education Funding Agency (EFA) has recorded 411 breaches of the funding agreement, 339 of which were a failure to submit a financial return by a given date. Between May 2010 and March 2012, the EFA's predecessor, the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA), recorded 122 funding agreement breaches as a result of failure to submit a financial return by a given date; no other breaches were systematically recorded. The percentage of academy trusts submitting their financial statements on time has improved from 73% in 2009/10 to 80% in 2010/11, and 87% in 2011/12.
	The type of funding agreement breaches recorded by the EFA include failure to submit financial accounts on time, failure to fulfil certain statutory duties and failure to obtain the approval of the Secretary of State for Education to act where required to do so. In all cases, the EFA first contacts the academy to make sure it is aware of its obligations under the funding agreement; it then works with the academy to achieve compliance. Failure to comply with the funding agreement is not acceptable and may lead to sanctions.

Advanced Extension Awards

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on measures to encourage more A-level students to undertake advanced extension awards.

Elizabeth Truss: Advanced Extension Awards were introduced in 2002, to challenge the most able advanced level students. Following changes made to A levels in 2008, including the introduction of the A* and greater stretch and challenge, Advanced Extension Awards in subjects other than mathematics ceased to be offered after 2009. The Government is not taking any specific action to encourage more A level students to undertake the Advanced Extension Award in mathematics.

Advanced Extension Awards

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the merits of the advanced extension award in bridging the gap between school and university.

Elizabeth Truss: Advanced extension awards were introduced in 2002, to challenge the most able advanced level students. Following changes made to A-levels in 2008, including the introduction of the A* and greater stretch and challenge, advanced extension awards in subjects other than mathematics ceased to be offered after 2009. It is important that students are well prepared for the transition between school and university, which is why the Government is reforming A-levels to ensure greater input from universities in their design and development.

Advanced Extension Awards

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many A-level students undertook the advanced extension award in (a) history and (b) geography in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: Advanced extension awards in subjects other than mathematics ceased to be offered after 2009. Awards for pupils completing A-level studies in 2008/09 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Numbers of students aged 16-18(1) at the end of advanced level study(2) who were awarded(3) an advanced extension award in selected subjects, Years: 2008/09 (final), Coverage: England (all schools and colleges) 
			 Subject 2008/09 
			 History 751 
			 Geography 330 
			 (1) Age in years at the start of the academic year, i.e. 31 August 2008. (2) Students entered for a GCE or Applied GCE A-level or Double Award in the summer examination session of the respective year. (3) Excludes pupils who were recorded as absent/declined (grade X).

Air Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies travelled on (i) domestic and (ii) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year.

Elizabeth Truss: Based on data held within the Department, the number of officials who have travelled on domestic and international flights in the last five years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Type 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Domestic 770 339 202 51 57 
		
	
	
		
			 International 367 147 76 237 197 
		
	
	The class of travel breakdown is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Class 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Business Class 431 64 4 11 16 
			 Economy 703 417 273 276 236 
			 First Class 3 2 1 1 — 
			 Premium Economy — 3 — — 2 
			 Total 1,137 486 278 288 254 
		
	
	The total cost breakdown of the same is set out in the following table.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Type 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Domestic 122,373.23 57,713.88 38,196.29 7,783.21 6,156.19 
			 International 239,425.79 59,664.01 26,652.83 74,844.53 68,766.80 
			 Total 361,799.02 117,377.89 64,849.12 82,627.74 74,922.99 
		
	
	The monetary values of the 20 highest airfare charges in each year are set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Total of top 20 airfares (£) 
			 2008-09 80,218.65 
			 2009-10 43,865.78 
			 2010-11 4,789.18 
			 2011-12 30,840.69 
			 2012-13 30,993.15 
		
	
	Data for arm’s length bodies and non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and therefore has not been used in the analysis given. The data for the financial year 2012-13 includes the recently formed Executive agencies of the Department.

Art Works

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the value is of each work of art on display in his private ministerial office.

Elizabeth Truss: There are no works of art on display in the office of the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove). Posters on display in the office are the property of the Secretary of State and are, therefore, not valued by the Department.

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Michael Gove: The Department’s tangible and intangible fixed asset net book values together with non-current liabilities are listed below as they stood at 31 March 2012. The same information as at 31 March 2013 will be available later this year in the Department's annual accounts.
	The items are grouped in the same way as they are presented in the audited Annual Accounts.
	This information does not include assets and liabilities for Academies; it relates only to the Department, its Executive Agencies and NDPBs (and does not reflect machinery of government changes made since 31 March 2012).
	
		
			 Property, Plant and Equipment: net book value at 31 March 2012 
			 £000 
			 Category Core department NDPBs Consolidated group 
			 Land and Buildings 51,389 22,313 73,702 
			 Information Technology 8,891 683 9,574 
			 Plant and Machinery 44 12 56 
			 Furniture and Fittings 9,320 2,992 12,312 
			 Assets under Construction 4,352 — 4,352 
			 Total 73,996 26,000 99,996 
		
	
	
		
			 Intangible Assets: net book value at 31 March 2012 
			 £000 
			 Category Core department NDPBs Consolidated group 
			 Software Licenses 2,173 528 2,771 
			 Developed Software 30,960 1,068 32,028 
		
	
	
		
			 Teacher's TV Programmes 17,688 — 17,688 
			 Assets under Construction 6,100 240 6,340 
			 Total 56,921 1,906 58,827 
		
	
	
		
			 Other Liabilities: carrying value at 31 March 2012 
			 £000 
			 Category Core department NDPBs Consolidated group 
			 Employee Early Departure Provision — — 25,050 
			 Retirement Compensation — — 68,012 
			 Property Provisions — — 19,638 
			 Other NDPB Provisions — — 18,142 
			 Total — — 130,842 
		
	
	Categories of provisions are not listed for each body within the annual accounts; they are disclosed for the consolidated group only.
	Group pension liabilities are valued at £148 million. This belongs to CAFCASS, which runs a defined benefit pension scheme; the rest of the Departmental Group's employees are members of PCSPS, the Civil Service Pension Scheme, which is an unfunded, multi-employer defined benefit scheme, which does not break out an individual Department's share of the underlying assets and liabilities.
	On 24 April 2013 we announced that we plan to close and dispose of the Runcorn site next year.

Beef: Horse Meat

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has had any recent updates from the Food Standards Agency on the risk that burgers with horsemeat have been distributed into the supply chain of UK schools; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Food Standards Agency has advised that investigations are continuing to find out how a number of meat products became contaminated with traces of pork and horse DNA. If contaminated products are identified, steps will be taken to ensure that these are removed from the food chain. Many retailers and suppliers have already taken action to identify and withdraw products from sale on a precautionary basis.
	Schools are responsible for the procurement of the food they provide, in negotiation with their caterers. If schools are concerned about food that they serve, they should contact their caterers or their local authority for further information.

Children in Care: Death

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children under 18 years old who have died while in the care of local authorities in the last 10 years have (a) had those deaths investigated by police and (b) died as a result of overdosing of illegal drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Timpson: Table 1 shows the number of children, aged under 18, who died while being looked after by local authorities in England for the year 2003 to 2012.
	However, the Department does not collect information on either the cause of death or any other factors involved. Information is not therefore available on the number of those deaths investigated by the police or the number which were a result of overdosing of illegal drugs.
	Information is also available on the number of child death reviews which were completed for children who were the subject of a statutory order at the time of the death. These figures are shown in table 2 for the year 2011 and 2012; figures are not available for years prior to this.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of looked-after children who have died while being looked after by a local authority(1, 2, 3), year ending 31 March 2003 to 2012, England 
			  2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Number of children who died while being looked after by local authorities 60 60 70 60 70 50 50 50 50 40 
			 (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. (2) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements. (3) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. Source: SSDA 903. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of child death(1) reviews completed by child death overview panels on behalf of local safeguarding children boards by statutory order status, England 
			  Year ending 31 March(2, 3) 
			  2011 2012 
			 At the time of death 40 50 
			 Previously, but not at time of death 20 20 
			 Never the subject of a statutory order 3,610 3,610 
			 Unknown(4) 350 290 
		
	
	
		
			 Insufficient information to fully review the death 40 50 
			 All child death reviews completed 4,060 4,010 
			 (1) A child for these purposes is defined as a child aged 0 up to their 18th birthday, excluding stillbirths. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Figures may not add up due to rounding. (3) Deaths are recorded by the date the child death review was completed, not by the date the death occurred. (4) Where statutory order status was unknown, this may be because this information is not collected by the panel or the information collected is not in the required format.

Children: Internet

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the safety of children online.

Edward Timpson: I co-chair the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) which brings together the internet industries, charities, academia, law enforcement and regulators to work in partnership to help keep children safe online. The Government has used this forum, which is informed by the reviews of Professor Tanya Byron and Reg Bailey, to identify the risks posed to children using the internet, and put in place a series of preventative and educational work-streams to address these risks.
	In addition, between 28 June and 6 September 2012, the Department for Education held a consultation seeking views on the best ways to keep children safe online. The Government’s Response to the Consultation on Parental Internet Controls was published in December and outlines what is expected of the IT and communications industries to develop universally-available, family-friendly internet access.

Children: Internet

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent meetings Ministers have had with internet service providers to monitor progress on the use of parental controls for internet usage.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 22 April 2013
	The Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), and co-chair of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), held a roundtable on parental controls with the five largest internet service providers (ISPs) on 31 January. UKCCIS Ministers (Ed Vaizey, Minister of State for Crime Prevention, the hon. Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne), and I) received an update on the progress of the five ISPs from representatives of TalkTalk and BT at the 11 February UKCCIS Executive Board meeting. A further update is expected at the next UKCCIS Executive Board meeting on 7 May 2013.

Children: Internet

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what specific steps the Government is taking following its consultation on internet parental controls.

Edward Timpson: The Government published its response to the Parental Internet Controls Consultation in December 2012. This asked Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to actively encourage new and existing customers to switch on parental controls if children are in the household and will be using the internet. It also asks ISPs to put in place appropriate systems to ensure that the person setting up the parental controls is over 18.
	In addition, the Government's response also asks the information and communications industries, including retailers and device manufacturers, to work to develop universally-available, family-friendly internet access which is easy to use.
	As a co-chair of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), and with support from fellow co-chairs the Minister of State for Crime Prevention, the hon. Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne), and the Minister for Culture, Communications and the Creative Industries, my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), I am challenging the internet industries to meet these requests. Through a series of separate project groups, ISPs, public WiFi providers and device manufacturers are regularly reporting to the UKCCIS Executive Board on their commitments to put in place systems to reduce children's access to harmful internet content.

Children: Protection

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  on what basis the proposed multi-agency child protection inspections have been deferred;
	(2)  whether he will publish the findings of the multi-agency inspections of child protection pilots.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 18 April 2013
	I have asked Sir Michael Wilshaw, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, to write to my hon. Friend about these matters which fall to Ofsted.

Children: Protection

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether he will publish the findings of the multi-agency inspections of child protection pilots.
	(2)  on what basis the proposed multi-agency child protection inspections have been deferred.

Edward Timpson: I have asked Sir Michael Wilshaw, Her Majesty's chief inspector, to write to the hon. Member about these matters which fall to Ofsted.

Classroom Assistants

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teaching assistants are employed in schools in England; and what the unit cost is of employing a teaching assistant.

David Laws: In November 2011 there were 219,800 full-time equivalent regular teaching assistants in service in publicly funded schools in England. The unit cost of employing a teaching assistant is not currently available due to the lack of quality assured salary data.
	Information for November 2012 will be published shortly.

Classroom Assistants: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teaching assistants were employed in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years.

David Laws: holding answer 22 April 2013
	The following table shows the full-time equivalent number of teaching assistants in service in publicly funded schools in Brigg and Goole constituency and the Yorkshire and the Humber region from January 2007 to November 2011, which is the latest information available.
	
		
			 Full-time equivalent teaching assistants in service in publicly funded schools (thousand). January 2007 to 2010 and November 2010 to 2011. Brigg and Goole 
			  Brigg and Goole Yorkshire and the Humber 
			 January   
			 2007 0.3 18.0 
			 2008 0.3 19.4 
			 2009 0.3 20.1 
			 2010 0.3 20.8 
			    
			 November   
			 2011 n/a 24.3 
			 n/a = Not available Sources: 1. January 2007 to 2010 (School Census) 2. November 2011 (School Workforce Census) 
		
	
	Statistics for the total number of teaching assistants in the Brigg and Goole constituency are not available for November 2011 because not all the schools in the area provided a complete return to the November 2011 School Workforce Census.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 comprehensive spending review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

David Laws: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Curriculum

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects the final version of the revised National Curriculum to be available.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 April 2013
	A consultation on the new draft curriculum was published on 7 February and closed on 16 April. Subject to the outcomes of the consultation, we will publish the final version of the new national curriculum in the autumn. A further draft version will be published in the summer for schools to look at. All maintained schools will be required to teach the new programmes of study from September 2014. Further information will be available on the Department's website in due course.

Curriculum

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he will make a formal response to the UK Youth Parliament's Curriculum for Life campaign.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 April 2013
	We are awaiting an announcement by the Youth Select Committee, which was established by the British Youth Council through this Department's Youth Voice grant, on the subject of its inquiry this year. The Department for Education will play a full part in the inquiry, as we would for any Parliamentary Select Committee, if the Youth Select Committee chooses Curriculum for Life.
	We have already discussed the curriculum with young people through the National Scrutiny Group, which was also established with funding from the Youth Voice grant, and are consulting young people with the support of the British Youth Council.

Curriculum

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on the introduction of a Curriculum for Life; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: I can confirm that we have already discussed the Curriculum for Life with young people through the National Scrutiny Group, and that we are consulting young people with the support of the British Youth Council. The Department has also received a number of pieces of correspondence relating to the Curriculum for Life.
	Our proposals for the new national curriculum were published for consultation on 7 February, and the consultation closed on 16 April. The proposals are based on the principle that the national curriculum should set out a body of essential knowledge that children should be expected to acquire in key subjects during the course of their school career. One of these key subjects is citizenship in secondary schools, and the new programmes of study which we have proposed would cover a number of topics highlighted by the Curriculum for Life campaign including politics and, for the first time, personal finance.
	The proposed new national curriculum has been designed to be slimmer than the existing one in order to free up teachers to create lessons that inspire and engage their pupils. Schools are free to teach any topic suggested by the UK Youth Parliament if they wish to do so.

Data Protection

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many confirmed data security breaches there have been in his Department in the last two years for which figures are available; and what action was taken after each occurrence.

Elizabeth Truss: The following table provides the number of confirmed data security breaches for the Department for Education for 2011 and 2012.
	
		
			 Confirmed data security breaches 
			  Number 
			 2011 6 
			 2012 14 
		
	
	For the purposes of this reply, a confirmed data security breach is assumed to mean any reported and substantiated loss or compromise (actual or potential) of unencrypted data. The Department's Executive agencies are not included in these figures.
	All reported security incidents are reviewed by the Department's departmental security unit and managers in the relevant business area. Appropriate action, including disciplinary action, is taken where it is considered appropriate. Any lessons learned from each incident are identified and actioned as required. Any incidents involving personal data are reviewed with regard to the requirements of the Data Protection Act. Where appropriate the Information Commissioner’s Office is notified.

Data Protection

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many official ministerial papers were recorded as not returned to his Department or otherwise unaccounted for by him and his private ministerial office in each month since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 25 March 2013
	We have taken the phrase 'official ministerial papers' to mean Cabinet Committee papers. The Department's Cabinet Documents Officer has robust systems in place to ensure compliance with Cabinet Office guidance on handling papers. No ministerial papers have been recorded as not returned or unaccounted for since May 2010.

Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many civil servants in his Department have been subject to non-disclosure agreements in each year since 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not use specific non-disclosure agreements but it uses settlement agreements, compromise agreements and COT3 agreements when resolving and settling issues and disputes with staff.
	These agreements may contain a non-disclosure clause preventing the individual from disclosing or discussing the existence, negotiation and terms of the settlement. The Department always considers whether such a clause is appropriate and necessary and always ensures that any non-disclosure clause allows disclosure for business needs and the requirements of law, including accountability to Parliament. Non-disclosure clauses are not aimed at preventing staff from raising or disclosing any concerns regarding their employment, which they continue to have a right to do under whistleblowing legislation and the Department's whistleblowing policy.
	The following numbers of civil servants in the Department for Education signed settlement agreements, compromise agreements or COT3 agreements, which contained a non-disclosure clause, in the last five years:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2008 9 
			 2009 6 
			 2010 2 
			 2011 10 
			 2012 9

Domestic Visits

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which constituencies Ministers in his Department have visited in an official capacity in the last 12 months.

Elizabeth Truss: Information about which constituencies Ministers, have visited is not held centrally. To collate and provide this information for all Ministers for the last 12 months would incur disproportionate cost.

Dominic Cummings

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, column 1105W, on ministerial policy advisers, what the (a) date, (b) location and (c) nature was of each of the meetings to which he invited Dominic Cummings before his appointment as a special adviser;
	(2)  when Dominic Cummings was first given a departmental pass;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, column 1105W, on ministerial policy advisers, for what reason he is not able to provide a figure for the number of occasions Dominic Cummings visited his Department between May 2010 and 21 February 2011; and what records are kept of those signing in at his Department’s reception desk.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 17 April 2013
	Dominic Cummings was given a departmental pass on 3 February 2011 prior to his appointment as a special adviser on 21 February 2011. Departmental passes are often granted to non-employees who frequently attend meetings e.g. charity representatives.
	As confirmed in the answer to my hon. Friend on 26 March 2013, Official Report, column 1105W, the Department can confirm that Dominic Cummings was invited to 30 meetings between May 2010 and 21 February 2011. It is not possible to confirm how many actual visits Dominic Cummings made to the Department as comprehensive attendance records are not held.
	The Department’s reception desk maintains a daily planner recording visitors invited to meetings and holds a log of visitors signed in by the reception desk staff. These records are retained for one month.
	Following a search of departmental records, the following table provides information about the meetings held by the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) to which Dominic Cummings was invited, between May 2010 and his appointment as a special adviser on 21 February 2011.
	All meetings were held in the Department unless otherwise specified.
	
		
			 Date  
			 10 January 2011 Monday catch-up 
			 17 January 2011 Monday catch-up 
			 24 January 2011 Briefing meeting—Education Bill 
			 24 January 2011 Monday catch-up 
			 26 January 2011 Briefing meeting—Education Bill 
		
	
	
		
			 26 January 2011 Catch-up—Free Schools 
			 27 January 2011 Quick chat 
			 27 January 2011 Policy meeting on career service 
			 27 January 2011 Briefing meeting—Education Bill 
			 27 January 2011 Discussion meeting on funding pressures 
			 27 January 2011 Discussion meeting on funding pressures (continued) 
			 27 January 2011 Delivery Meeting 
			 28 January 2011 Free School Conference Speaker Dinner at Quo Vadis 
			 28 January 2011 Discussion meeting on music 
			 31 January 2011 Monday catch-up 
			 1 February 2011 Discussion meeting on curriculum and exam reform in House of Commons 
			 1 February 2011 Discussion meeting on funding pressures 
			 2 February 2011 Meeting with members of FilmClub 
			 2 February 2011 Discussion meeting on funding pressures 
			 3 February 2011 Delivery Meeting 
			 7 February 2011 Monday catch-up 
			 8 February 2011 Meeting with Stewart Jackson MP 
			 9 February 2011 Quick chat 
			 9 February 2011 Meeting with Professor Alison Wolf 
			 10 February 2011 Comms meeting 
			 10 February 2011 Delivery Meeting 
			 14 February 2011 Comms meeting 
			 14 February 2011 Monday catch-up 
			 16 February 2011 Meeting with Patrick Mercer MP in House of Commons 
			 17 February 2011 Delivery meeting

Drugs: Health Education

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on educating young people on the risks associated with Class (a) A, (b) B and (c) C drugs in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much his Department has spent on advertising the risks associated with Class (a) A, (b) B and (c) C drugs via the Frank drug information campaign in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not explicitly fund drug education. School pupils are currently provided with education on the physiological effects of drugs as part of the statutory National Curriculum Programmes of Study for science. They may also receive wider drugs education as part of non-statutory personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.
	The FRANK service provides information and advice to young people about drugs. The Home Office, Department of Health and Department for Education work together to support the service. Funding is not allocated to advertising the risks associated with specific classes of drugs.

Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage an inter-disciplinary approach to learning in secondary schools and sixth-form colleges.

Elizabeth Truss: Secondary schools and sixth-form colleges have flexibility in the way they teach different subjects and support pupils to make the relevant connections between them. For pupils aged 11-16, it is up to schools to decide how best to teach the prescribed content of the national curriculum and to design their own wider school curricula which best meet the needs of their pupils; this could include inter-disciplinary approaches.

Education Funding Agency

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects the Education Funding Agency to respond to the letter dated 11 July 2012 from Harrow council in relation to a Priority School Building Programme alternative financial proposal.

David Laws: Departmental officials are in continuing and regular dialogue with Harrow local authority regarding their Priority Schools Building Programme applications. A formal response to this proposal was sent to the local authority yesterday and copied to the hon. Member.

Education Funding Agency

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) staff and (b) consultants were working in the Education Funding Agency, or its component predecessor organisations, in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13; and what estimate he has made of the number of such staff in (A) 2013-14 and (B) 2014-15.

Elizabeth Truss: The Education Funding Agency (EFA) was created on 1 April 2012, and was formed from a combination of three predecessor organisations: the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA), Partnerships for Schools (PfS), and part of the Department for Education (DFE).
	The YPLA was created on 1 April 2010, its functions previously being part of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). It is not possible to isolate the YPLA element of the LSC figures, so precise data is not available for 2009-10, but the reorganisation of functions previously managed by the LSC during 2009-10 led to the transfer of nearly 1,000 posts with responsibilities for young people's learning to local authorities from April 2010.
	Taking these factors into account, the following table shows the number of staff employed by the EFA and its component predecessor organisations from 2009-10 to 2012-13, with planned numbers for 2013-14 and 2014-15.
	Overall, the number of staff employed by the Department for Education and its agencies, including the EFA, will fall from 5,575 in 2010-11, to 3,000 in 2014-15.
	
		
			 Table 1: Average full-time equivalent staffing numbers 
			     EFA  
			  YPLA PfS DFE staff working on functions later transferred to EFA Admin costs Capital funded Total 
			 2009-10 n/a 189 34 — — n/a 
			 2010-11 497 185 34 — — 716 
			 2011-12 524 167 34 — — 725 
			 2012-13 — — — 648 (1)91 739 
		
	
	
		
			 2013-14 (planned) — — — 766 (1)141 907 
			 2014-15 (planned) — — — 776 (1)141 917 
			 (1) Compared to predecessor organisations, a much larger part of the EFA's capital work is the direct management of capital build contracts. These costs were previously funded by grant borne in external organisations. The EFA accounts for these costs as capital funding. 
		
	
	Where staff were, or are planned to be, employed to conduct EFA core business, either on a temporary agency basis or on secondment from professional firms, these are included in the figures above.

Education Funding Agency

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the most recent total budget is of the Education Funding Agency.

Elizabeth Truss: The total budget for the Education Funding Agency for the financial year 2012-13 was £51,454,795,974.

Education: Young Offender Institutions

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much per head the Education Funding Agency has spent on education in young offender institutions in each year since May 2010.

David Laws: Education Funding Agency spending per head according to the average capacity of Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) was £6,886 in 2009/10, £6,356 in 2010/11 and £7,276 in 2011/12 (academic years).

Educational Institutions: Worcester

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what capital investments either for maintenance or construction have been granted to (a) academies, (b) maintained schools and (c) colleges in Worcester by his Department in each of the last three years.

David Laws: Capital support provided to Worcestershire and its schools since 2010-11 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Capital Funding (£ million) 
			 Capital support for: 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 (a) academies 2.2 10.2 7.7 
			 (b) maintained schools (and the local authority)(1) 29.8 19.2 18.1 
			 (c) colleges 0.0 1.1 1.0 
			 Total 32.0 30.5 26.8 
			 (1) Includes capital support to the local authority for the provision of new school places, in any type of school (including academies).

Engineering: Education

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to ensure that engineering is taught at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 26 March 2013
	The Government recognises the importance of engineering and is supporting programmes to improve the teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in schools.
	The review of the national curriculum will ensure that pupils are taught the essential knowledge required in science and mathematics. We are working with leading figures in industry and education to ensure that the new design and technology curriculum helps build the engineering skills the country needs.
	We are increasing the number and quality of secondary science and mathematics teachers, and supporting more schools to offer GCSE triple science. We are also encouraging more students to study A-level physics and A-level further mathematics, which will enhance their prospects of studying engineering-related subjects at university.
	The Department helps to fund STEM Clubs, which provide secondary pupils with opportunities to participate in engineering and technology projects.
	The Government is supporting the work of the Royal Academy of Engineering to develop a suite of four new engineering qualifications at Key Stage 4 which meet high standards.
	University technical colleges and studio schools are also providing new routes into engineering.

English Baccalaureate

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the omission of creative subjects from the English Baccalaureate on the creative economy.

Elizabeth Truss: This Government believes that artistic achievement, in all its forms, should be made accessible to every child. The English Baccalaureate measure, which is not compulsory, leaves space for pupils to study creative subjects alongside a strong academic core. We believe good school leaders will continue to make time for artistic and cultural education. We have no reason to believe there will be an impact on the contribution of creative industries to the economy, which amounts to £36 billion. We will continue to monitor take up of creative subjects at Key Stage 4.

English Baccalaureate

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with (a) representatives of manufacturing and engineering businesses and (b) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills about the potential comparative benefits to the manufacturing and engineering industries of including (i) Classical Greek, Latin and Biblical Hebrew studies and (ii) Design and Technology studies within the English baccalaureate.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 January 2013
	The Department for Education has received correspondence from and had a number of discussions with supporters of subjects outside the current English baccalaureate (EBacc) list, and industries which rely on those subjects. Ministers have also had discussions with Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	To succeed in any area, young people must have a solid foundation in core academic disciplines. Access to an academic core of knowledge—as provided by the EBacc subjects—alongside a broad and balanced curriculum, enables all young people to develop those key skills they need to complement their wider knowledge, understanding and talents. The EBacc subjects were not selected for their particular benefits to any specific industry, rather for their value in providing that strong academic core.
	It is widely recognised that the study of any foreign language offers great benefits in terms of cognitive skills and understanding as well as cultural awareness. We do not want to prescribe the languages students should study; all second languages therefore count towards the EBacc.
	The EBacc is designed to allow 20-30% of curriculum time for the study of other valuable subjects, including those that might be of particular benefit to specific industries, such as including Design and Technology or Engineering.

Families

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what contributions his Department has made to the family policy commission instigated by the Prime Minister to date.

Edward Timpson: The Childhood and Families Taskforce was established by the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in 2010 and initiated more effective cross-Whitehall work to tackle some of the major obstacles to a happy childhood and a successful family life. The Department for Education has led a number of programmes emanating from the Taskforce, including the Bailey Review of the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood; and the Graham Allen review of Early Intervention.
	At present, Parliament is scrutinising the Children and Families Bill which takes forward the coalition Government's commitments to improve services for vulnerable children and support strong families.
	The Bill will reform the systems for adoption, looked after children, family justice and special educational needs. It will encourage growth in the child care sector and introduce a new system of shared parental leave.

Free School Meals

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England are eligible for free school meals but do not currently claim them.

David Laws: holding answer 15 April 2013
	The Department routinely collects information on pupils who are both eligible for and claiming free school meals. Identifying those who are eligible for free school meals but who do not claim is more difficult.
	The Department has published the research paper 'Pupils not claiming free school meals' which presents estimates of the numbers and proportions of pupils who are entitled to receive free school meals but are not claiming. The paper compares registration rates for children aged between 4 and 15, and highlights regions and local authorities where under-registration rates are high. The paper includes local authority level analysis but does not contain any figures at constituency level. The paper is published at:
	www.education.gov.uk/publications/RSG/AllRsgPublications/Page4/DFE-RR235
	The latest published information on those eligible for and claiming free school meals is available in the 'Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics, January 2012' Statistical First Release at:
	www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/a00209478/

Free School Meals: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber are eligible for free school meals but do not currently claim them.

David Laws: The Department routinely collects information on pupils who are both eligible for and claiming free school meals. Identifying those who are eligible for but do not claim is more difficult.
	The Department has published the research paper “Pupils not claiming free school meals” which presents estimates of the number and proportion of pupils who are entitled to receive free school meals but are not claiming. The paper compares registration rates for children aged between four and 15 and highlights regions and local authorities where under-registration rates are high. The paper includes regional and local authority level analysis but does not contain any figures at constituency level. The paper is published at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/RSG/AllRsgPublications/Page4/DFE-RR235
	and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Free Schools

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list (a) the names and locations, (b) the accountants, (c) the number of pupils and (d) any educational group membership of each free school established since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: The first free schools opened in September 2011. The list attached contains: (a) names, locations of open free schools and (d) whether they belong to an educational group. (c) The numbers of pupils provided are the number of full time equivalents the schools recorded as being on roll at the autumn census on 4 October 2012. Further information on the school census can be found on the Department's website. In most cases, these numbers reflect recruitment to only one or two year groups, and so do not represent the final capacity of the school.
	This table does not take account of children who will join these schools this September. Figures collected by the Department suggest that 9 in 10 of the free schools that are already open have received more applications from parents than there are places available, with an average of three applications for each place.
	(b) Free schools are not required to provide us with the names of their accountants. Therefore, we do not hold this information.
	
		
			 Academy name Pupil number Town/city LA Membership 
			 Al Madinah School 270 Derby Derby — 
			 Alban City Free School 60 St Albans Hertfordshire — 
			 Aldborough E-ACT Free School 180 London Redbridge E-Act 
			 All Saints Junior School 35 Reading Reading CfBT Schools Trust (CST) 
			 ARK Atwood Primary Academy 120 London Westminster ARK 
			 ARK Bolingbroke Academy 120 London Wandsworth ARK 
			 ARK Conway Primary Academy 60 London Hammersmith and Fulham ARK 
			 Atherton Community School 60 Atherton Wigan Chapel Street Trust 
			 Avanti House School 140 Harrow Harrow — 
			 Barnfields Moorlands Free School 378 Luton Luton — 
			 Barrow 1618 45 Broseley Shropshire — 
			 Batley Grammar School 700 Batley Kirklees — 
			 Becket Keys Church School 123 Brentwood Essex — 
			 Bedford Free School 200 Bedford Bedford — 
			 Bilingual Primary School for Brighton and Hove 90 Brighton Brighton and Hove — 
			 Bristol Free School 215 Bristol Bristol — 
			 Canary Wharf College 120 London Tower Hamlets — 
			 CET Primary School (Tower Hamlets) 75 London Tower Hamlets — 
			 CET Primary School (Westminster) 56 London Westminster — 
			 City Gateway (Hybrid Academy) 260 London Tower Hamlets — 
			 City of Peterborough Academy Special School 50 Peterborough Peterborough Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust 
			 Cobham Free School 65 Cobham Surrey — 
			 Corby Technical School 75 Corby Northamptonshire — 
			 Cramlington Village Primary School 30 Cramlington Northumberland — 
			 Derby Pride Academy 50 Derby Derby — 
			 Discovery New School 64 Crawley West Sussex — 
			 Dixons Music Primary 30 Bradford Bradford Dixons Academy Trust 
			 Dixons Trinity Academy 112 Bradford Bradford Dixons Academy Trust 
			 EBN East Birmingham Network Free School 45 Stechford Birmingham — 
			 Eden Primary School 60 London Haringey — 
			 Emmanuel Community School 20 Walthamstow Waltham Forrest — 
			 Enfield Heights Academy 25 Enfield Enfield — 
			 Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School 50 London Barnet — 
			 Europa School UK 168 Abingdon Oxfordshire — 
			 Everton in the Community Free School Trust 72 Liverpool Liverpool — 
			 Grindon Hall Christian School 509 Sunderland Sunderland — 
			 Harpenden Free School 30 Redbourn Hertfordshire — 
		
	
	
		
			 Harris Primary Free School Peckham 60 Peckham Southwark Harris Federation 
			 Hartsbrook E-ACT Free School 110 Tottenham Haringey E-Act 
			 Hatfield Community Free School 60 Hatfield Hertfordshire — 
			 IES Breckland Free School 210 Brendon Suffolk — 
			 Kingfisher Hall Primary Academy 83 Edmonton Enfield — 
			 King's Leadership Academy Warrington 45 Warrington Warrington — 
			 Kings Science Academy 360 Bradford Bradford — 
			 Krishna-Avanti Primary School 90 Leicester Leicester — 
			 Langley Hall Primary Academy 342 Langley Slough — 
			 Lighthouse School (1)10 Leeds Leeds — 
			 London Academy of Excellence (2)190 London Newham — 
			 Maharishi School 155 Ormskirk Lancashire — 
			 Nishkam Primary School 340 Birmingham Birmingham — 
			 Nishkam School Trust 175 Birmingham Birmingham — 
			 Oakbank School 60 Reading Wokingham CfBT Schools Trust (CST) 
			 Perry Beeches 2 Free School 160 Birmingham Birmingham — 
			 Rainbow Primary 115 Bradford Bradford — 
			 Reach Academy Feltham 120 Feltham Hounslow — 
			 Rimon Jewish Primary School 28 London Barnet — 
			 Rosewood School 58 Southampton Southampton — 
			 Sandbach School 1,272 Sandbach Cheshire East — 
			 Sandymoor School 37 Runcorn Halton — 
			 School 21 150 London Newham — 
			 Southwark Free School 30 Peckham Southwark — 
			 St Luke's Church of England School 31 London Camden — 
			 St Michael's Catholic Secondary School 60 Cambourne Cornwall — 
			 Steiner Academy Frome 130 Corsley Somerset — 
			 Stone Soup Learns (3)10 Nottingham Nottingham — 
			 Stour Valley Community School 330 Sudbury Suffolk — 
			 Tauheedul 150 Blackburn Blackburn-with-Darwen — 
			 The Beccles Free School 80 Lowestoft Suffolk — 
			 The Free School Norwich 144 Norwich Norfolk — 
			 The Gateway Academy—Free School 75 Tildbury Thurrock — 
			 The Greenwich Free School 100 Greenwich Greenwich — 
			 The Hawthorne's Free School 432 Bootle Sefton — 
			 The Priors School 56 Southam Warwickshire — 
			 The Rural Enterprise Academy 40 Penkridge Staffordshire — 
			 The Saxmundham Free School 115 Woodbridge Suffolk — 
			 The Tiger School 77 Maidstone Kent — 
			 Wapping High School 60 London Tower Hamlets — 
			 West London Free School 241 Hammersmith Hammersmith and Fulham — 
			 Woodpecker Hall Primary Academy 156 Edmonton Enfield — 
			 (1) Special Free School for learners aged 11-19 with learning difficulties or disabilities, mainly autistic, with a capacity of 50 learners which opened in Sept 12 with one year group only. (2) Self-reported numbers due to problems with Ml. (3) Alternative provision for young people aged 11-19 unable to attend mainstream or special school, with a capacity of 100 learners which opened in September 2012 with one year group only.

Free Schools

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many free school applications there have been from groups of parents since 2010; and how many such applications have successfully established free schools.

Elizabeth Truss: By definition, all free schools are set up with the involvement of parents, and all successful applications must show sufficient demand from parents. Only looking at free schools proposers which have self-identified as 'parents groups' does not, therefore, provide a full picture of parental involvement in the free school programme. Since 2010, the Department has received 227 applications from groups who have identified themselves as parent or community groups. 29 of these groups have successfully opened free schools, with a further 31 currently approved to open schools this year and next. These figures do not include the latest application round and we expect to approve more such projects in May.
	The 60 free schools set up by parent or community groups that have already opened or been approved to open contrast with just four schools opened by groups of parents in the period 2006-10. Thanks to the free schools programme it is easier than ever before for parents to set up schools, many of them opening in little more than a year.

Free Schools

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what total expenditure on the free schools programme has been to date; and how many staff in his Department currently work on the free schools programme.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education will publish its total expenditure on each project to develop a free school, after the school has opened and the costs have been finalised.
	As of 22 April 2013, there are 126 civil servants in the Department’s free schools group, employed on policy and implementation work in connection with free schools. There are also 23 civil servants within the Education Funding Agency who work on the free schools programme.

Free Schools

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on approving free school applications in areas with an existing surplus of school places.

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), may approve free schools in areas where there is an existing surplus of school places if there is a compelling case demonstrating the need for the school. Applicants may demonstrate need for a school by collecting evidence of demand from parents and the local community, or by citing evidence that the existing provision in the local area is underperforming. All free school applicants must complete a rigorous application and interview process, regardless of the number of school places locally.

Freedom of Information

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has received a copy of the Information Commissioner's report following the monitoring of his Department's timeliness in responding to freedom of information requests; and whether he will publish this on his Department's website.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department has not yet received the Information Commissioner's findings.

Freedom of Information

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what procedures or practices his Department has changed following the Information Commissioner's report into his Department's performance in responding to freedom of information requests in a timely manner; whether he has subsequently issued guidance to his Department's staff on this matter; and whether he will publish any such guidance.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 23 April 2013
	The Department has not yet received the Information Commissioners findings.

GCSE

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what advice he has received on the legality of ending competition between examination boards to offer GCSEs.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 April 2013
	The Government explored options for reforming GCSEs in full, taking appropriate advice, from officials within the Department, as well as external experts. It decided against moving towards a single awarding organisation model because of the risks of reforming the market in parallel with qualifications and because of the significant steps that Ofqual has taken to tighten up regulation of GCSEs.

GCSE: Special Educational Needs

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils who attended schools for pupils with a primary special educational need of behavioural, emotional and social difficulty achieved (a) A* to C grades in GCSE English and mathematics excluding equivalents, (b) A* to C grades in five GCSEs including English and mathematics and (c) A* to C grades in five GCSEs including English and mathematics excluding equivalents, broken down (i) nationally, (ii) by local authority and (iii) by school in the latest period for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 April 2013
	Of the 5,330 eligible pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2012 attending schools in England which have been approved for pupils with a primary special educational need of behavioural, emotional and social difficulty: (a) 31 achieved A* to C grades in GCSE English and mathematics excluding equivalents (b) 24 achieved 5 or more GGSEs at grade A* to C or equivalent including English and mathematics GCSEs or iGCSEs and (c) 8 achieved 5 or more GCSEs at grade A* to C excluding equivalents including English and mathematics GCSEs or iGCSEs.
	Figures below national level could not be provided to protect confidentiality.

Health Education: Sex

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and (b) the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) regarding the BBFC providing an age rating to material used in sex and relationship education in primary schools;
	(2)  what discussions his Department has had with the providers of sex and relationship education to primary schools about requiring the British Board of Film Classification to provide an age rating to such material.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 April 2013
	Currently most educational DVDs do not require British Board of Film Classification age ratings under the Video Recordings Act 1984. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) led the consultation on changes to the Act, and sought views as part of that process. Officials have discussed the consultation proposal, as part of wider discussions about sex and relationship education, with a range of organisations, including the British Board of Film Classification, Brook, FPA and the Personal Social Health Education (PSHE) Association. Ministers and officials in DCMS and the Department for Education have worked closely together throughout the consultation process and on the development of the Government response, which will be published shortly.

Health Education: Sex

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to improve sex education in schools.

Elizabeth Truss: Sex and relationship education (SRE) is an important part of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education and that is why it is compulsory in maintained secondary schools.
	We have asked Ofsted to report on specific effective practice in PSHE (to include SRE), and will provide funding to the PSHE Association to advise schools in developing curricula, improving staff training, and specifically to promote the teaching of consent in SRE.
	To support teaching in SRE, we also encourage schools to use the expertise of professional organisations such as the Sex Education Forum.

Higher Education

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2013, Official Report, column 889W, on meetings, on how many occasions and on what dates he, excluding his Ministers, has met representatives of (a) the Russell Group, (b) Universities UK, (c) 1994 Group and (d) Million+ since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 5 March 2013
	The Secretary of State for Education has met a number of representatives of these organisations since May 2010. On 7 December 2011, the Secretary of State hosted a roundtable discussion on A-level reform. It was attended by: Paul Marshall (Chief Executive, 1994 Group); Pam Tatlow (Chief Executive, Million+); Dr Geoff Parks (Director of Admissions, Cambridge); Paul Teulon (Director of Admissions, Kings College London); Richard Emborg (Director of the Student Recruitment and Admissions, Durham); Professor Janice Kay (Deputy Vice Chancellor, Exeter); and Ian Blenkharn (Head of Admissions, Exeter).
	On 2 May 2012, the Secretary of State attended a Russell Group dinner to discuss A level reform. It was attended by: Professor Eric Thomas (Vice-Chancellor, University of Bristol); Professor John Rallison (Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Education, University of Cambridge); Professor Michael Arthur (Vice-Chancellor, University of Leeds); Professor Judith Rees (Director, LSE); Dr Sally Mapstone, (Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Education, University of Oxford); Professor Keith Burnett (Vice-Chancellor, University of Sheffield); and Professor Don Nutbeam (Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton).
	On 4 March 2013, the Secretary of State met Professor Nigel Thrift, a Russell Group representative from the University of Warwick. Other Ministers have met representatives of these organisations on numerous occasions.

History: Curriculum

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how he envisages that mixed-age classes will be taught Key Stage 2 history sequentially.

Michael Gove: holding answer 22 April 2013
	We believe that all pupils should be taught about the events, processes and personalities that have shaped the history of these islands, and that their understanding of that history is best developed when it is taught within a robust chronological framework. That is why we have published proposals for a new curriculum that adopts such a framework.
	However, we also realise that the implementation of the new curriculum in schools with mixed age classes will present specific challenges, particularly in small rural schools. While we know that these schools are, of necessity, experienced and adept at handling curriculum change and adapting the curriculum to reflect their circumstances, we will ensure that the impact of the new national curriculum on them is fully assessed before we publish it in its final form later this year.

Hotels

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many separate occasions (a) he and (b) staff in his private ministerial office have stayed in hotel accommodation for the purpose of official Government business in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of any such overnight stays.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 15 April 2013
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) and staff in his private ministerial office have stayed in hotels on two occasions for the purpose of official Government business in the last 12 months. The overall cost was £720.69.

Hotels

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies stayed in hotels in (i) the UK and (ii) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

Michael Gove: The Department only holds detailed information to meet your request for the financial year 2012/13. 1,464 officials stayed in hotels within the UK. 52 officials stayed in hotels outside of the UK. The total cost for hotels for this period was £1,004,707.53.
	The Department does not hold data for hotel bookings made by non-departmental public bodies.
	The following table provides a list of the 20 hotels where spend has been the greatest in the financial year 2012/13.
	
		
			 Top 20 hotels by spend, 2012/13 
			  £ 
			 Copthorne Tara Hotel, London Kensington 215,240.37 
			 Premier Inn Coventry City Centre 96,681.18 
			 Ramada Hotel, Coventry 60,081.11 
			 Kensington Close, London 41,041.32 
			 Millennium Baileys, London 31,383.80 
			 Best Western, London Kensington 30,608.49 
			 Bannatyne Hotel, Darlington 29,222.58 
			 Travelodge, London Waterloo 20,445.76 
			 Days Hotel, London 18,779.52 
			 Jurys Inn, Sheffield 16,496.28 
			 Best Western Corona, London Pimlico 12,669.01 
			 Macdonald, Manchester 11,920.20 
			 Grange Rochester, London 11,875.73 
			 Travelodge, London Covent Garden 10,743.59 
			 Novotel, Sheffield City Centre 10,283.72 
			 Best Western, London Earls Court 9,583.12 
			 Doubletree By Hilton, Manchester 8,113.30 
			 Holiday Inn, London Bloomsbury 7,318.29 
			 Park Plaza, London Riverbank 7,256.88 
			 Strand Palace Hotel, London 6,947.50 
		
	
	Most of this expenditure on hotels is incurred when officials have to travel between the Department’s different sites and stay overnight.

Languages: Curriculum

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  if he will include British Sign Language in the list of options of minority languages in the national curriculum;
	(2)  if he will change the definition of a modern foreign language in the national curriculum to a written, spoken or signed language.

Elizabeth Truss: Subject to Parliament's approval, we intend to require maintained primary schools to teach all pupils at key stage 2 one of a list of prescribed languages from September 2014: French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish, Latin or Ancient Greek. As now, schools will be able to teach any modern foreign language at key stage 3.
	Schools will of course be able to offer other languages, such as British Sign Language, in addition to one of the seven from the list.
	There is no definition of 'modern foreign language' in the national curriculum.

Languages: Education

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the Statement of 17 September 2012, Official Report, column 653, on examination reform, what provision will be made for the teaching of (a) Spanish and (b) Hebrew under the new system of allowing only a single examination board per subject.

Elizabeth Truss: Following the Department's public consultation on reforming Key Stage 4 qualifications, we announced on 7 February 2013 that we would not move to a single awarding organisation for each subject. Rather, GCSEs, including in languages, will be subject to comprehensive reform. The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), in writing to Glenys Stacey, noted that the Government is keen to see reformed GCSEs in a wide range of modern and classic languages.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham of 26 February 2013, Official Report, column 468W, on civil servants: codes of practice, whether the enquiries made by the Permanent Secretary and Secretary of State included discussions with special advisers; and whether they denied any responsibility for the reported comments.

Elizabeth Truss: This matter was covered when the Secretary of State and Permanent Secretary gave evidence to the Education Select Committee on 13 March 2013. The relevant paragraphs are as follows:
	Q71 Ian Mearns: The next question I asked you on 23 January was about the press comments, particularly in “The Spectator”, regarding Tim Loughton. You said you were not aware of who had done that, but the Chairman said you could probably round up the potential suspects in a phone box. Have you investigated who did that subsequently?
	Michael Gove: Whenever the Chairman offers me advice, I always weigh it very carefully. One of the things I wanted to stress in the course of that Committee hearing was that I did not want to collude with any reporting or analysis of that event that suggested that any particular individual or individuals were more or less guilty for a variety of reasons. But the Chairman suggested to me very clearly that I should perhaps—without suggesting that anyone was more likely to be guilty than anyone else—nevertheless, as a Minister, ask the special advisers, who are political appointees, if they had played any role in that. So, I did exactly what the Chairman suggested, and that day I asked the politically-appointed special advisers if they had been responsible for that briefing, and they assured me categorically that they had not.

Ministerial Red Boxes

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many ministerial red boxes his Department has bought since May 2010; what the cost of each such box was; who supplied each box; what tendering process was used in selecting these suppliers; and to which Minister each box was allocated.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 18 March 2013
	Banner Business Services has supplied the Department for Education with 13 ministerial boxes since May 2010 at an average cost of £742 per box. These were procured for use by all Ministers as ministerial offices share boxes as required.
	The Department has not tendered separately for the provision of ministerial red boxes but has included the requirement in its stationary contracts. Between May 2010 and September 2011 the Department used an HMRC stationary contract with Banner Business Supplied Ltd and from September 2011 onwards the Department has used a pan-government stationary contract with Banner Business Supplies Ltd which was awarded by the former Buying Solutions (Cabinet Office). The Department for Education did not tender either of these contracts directly.

Ministers' Private Offices

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his private office has spent on (a) postage and (b) stationery in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 28 January 2013
	The overall spend on stationery in the 12 months to the end of December 2012 was £35,027. The cost for individual teams cannot be separated as stationery is bought for the whole of Private Office. This is down significantly on the £43,440 spent in the year to January 2010.
	Private Office spent £126 on postage costs during 2012. The vast majority of post is sent through the Department's central mailroom and so the costs cannot be separated.

Ministers' Private Offices

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his most recent estimate is of the annual cost to the public purse of his private office in his Department.

Michael Gove: The expenditure for my private office, in the financial year 2012-13 is expected to be just over £696,000. This figure includes the cost of management for the private office division as well as all ministerial support functions, diary management and briefing and correspondence. This also includes overtime, travel and subsistence costs for the whole office.
	This includes actual expenditure from April 2012 to February 2013 and estimated expenditure for the month of March 2013.
	For reference, the cost for previous years was as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure (£) 
			 2011-12 789,961 
			 2010-11 773,657 
			 2009-10 790,919

Official Cars

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2013, Official Report, column 68W, on Official Cars, on how many occasions he travelled in a car from the Ministerial Car Pool whilst a Red Box delivery was being undertaken by the same vehicle; and what proportion of Red Box deliveries were undertaken by a car from the pool without him present in the last 12 months.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has one allocated ministerial car; which the Secretary of State uses for most journeys. In the last 12 months to 22 January 2013, the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) has used the ministerial car pool for 110 journeys, of which 48 were red box deliveries.

Official Hospitality

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible claimed reimbursements for working lunches and official entertainment in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was in each such year.

Michael Gove: The following table provides the number of officials in the Department (excluding non-departmental bodies) who claimed reimbursement for working lunches and official entertainment by financial year since November 2009.
	
		
			 Financial year Number of officials who claimed for working lunches and official entertainment Total cost claims for working lunches and official entertainment (£) 
			 November 2009 to March 2010 18 541.78 
			 2010-11 24 967.29 
			 2011-12 27 901.05 
			 Note: Figures include Executive Agencies 
		
	
	To provide the figures prior to November 2009 would incur disproportionate costs as this data was held on a different finance system. To provide the figures for the non-departmental public bodies would incur disproportionate costs.
	The figures for 2012-13 are not comparable to the figures for previous years.
	Over this period the Department closed 11 of its NDPBs and established four new Executive Agencies.
	The figures provided for 2013-13 include officials within the new Executive Agencies, whereas the figures for the previous three years do not include information relating to the closed NDPBs.
	In 2012-13 £2,294 was spent by officials working for the Department and its four Executive Agencies.

Official Residences

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which official ministerial residences are allocated to Ministers in his Department; and what the total annual cost is of running each such residence.

Elizabeth Truss: There are no official ministerial residences allocated to Ministers at the Department for Education.

Pre-school Education

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many nursery places for 4 year olds were available in the (a) public sector, (b) private sector and (c) third sector in the latest period for which figures are available.

Edward Timpson: The number of early education places available at funded providers for four-year-olds is shown in a table, which will be placed in the Library of the House.
	From the Early Years Census covering private, voluntary, and independent providers (PVI), the Department collects information on the number of three and four-year-old children receiving funded early education places as well as the total number of places available at those providers delivering funded early education. The Department does not have data on nursery places available in PVI providers not funded by the Department.
	Data provided covering the maintained sector is taken from the School Census and School Level Annual School Census. This data covers numbers attending schools rather than specifically numbers of places available. Data is not available for places available in maintained schools for nursery provision for four-year-olds.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish details of all (a) his Department’s and (b) its non-departmental public bodies’ existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not hold a central repository of all contracts and to provide the information requested would incur disproportionate costs.
	Some of this information is included in the information that the Department has published since March 2011 about its contracts over £10,000 on the Contracts Finder website. The web address is:
	www.contractsfinder.co.uk

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department has disseminated guidance issued by Cabinet Office entitled ‘The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012—advice for commissioners and procurers’ and carried out awareness sessions for all procurement staff in the Department and its agencies.

Publications

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2013, Official Report, column 54W, on Publications, if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent breakdown of his Department's accounts that show spend on (a) publications, (b) periodicals and (c) newspapers; and if he will contact the publisher of those publications in order to establish how much his private ministerial office has spent on such subscriptions in the last 12 months.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 14 March 2013
	The Department's published accounts are readily available at:
	www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/departmentalinformation/reports/a00390/annual-departmental-reports-accounts-and-spending-reviews
	and a copy has been placed in the House Libraries.
	In terms of spending on subscriptions for Private Office, the Department does not hold data in a way that allows the costs for specific publications to be separately identified, and is not required to seek additional information from external organisations in order to answer PQs.

Pupil Referral Units

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the rate is of unauthorised absence in pupil referral units, by local authority, in the latest period for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: Information showing the rates of overall and unauthorised absence in pupil referral units, by local authority, has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Children who are of compulsory school-age and registered at a school or pupil referral unit are expected to attend on a full-time basis.
	The Government wants all schools, including pupil referral units to improve the attendance of their pupils and minimise absence. This is because there is clear evidence that the level of attainment of pupils decreases as absence increases.

Pupil Referral Units

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) number and (b) proportion is of pupil referral units in which (i) no pupils, (ii) fewer than five per cent of pupils, (iii) fewer than 10 per cent of pupils and (iv) fewer than 25 per cent of pupils achieved five GCSE passes in the latest period for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			 National performance of pupils(1) at the end of key stage 4 in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs)(2), year: 2011/12 (Final), coverage: England 
			  Number of PRUs Percentage of PRUs 
			 Total number of Pupil Referral Units 219 — 
			 Of which:   
			 Have no pupils achieving 5 or more GCSE A*-G grades or equivalent 18 8.2 
			 Have fewer than 5% of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSE A*-G grades or equivalent 22 10 
		
	
	
		
			 Have fewer than 10% of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSE A*-G grades or equivalent 43 19.6 
			 Have fewer than 25% of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSE A*-G grades or equivalent 117 53.4 
			 (1) Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (2) Only includes PRUs with 6 or more pupils at the end of key stage 4. Source: 2012 Secondary School Performance Tables data (Final)

Pupil Referral Units: Greater London

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which pupil referrals units in London were rated as unsatisfactory by Ofsted at their most recent inspection; and how many new enrolments have been made at each of these pupil referral units in each quarter since 2011.

David Laws: Data published by Ofsted provides inspection outcomes for state-funded primary, secondary, special schools, independent schools, pupil referral units (PRUs), and alternative provision up to and including 31 August 2012.
	This data is available at:
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/official-statistics-maintained-school-inspections-and-outcomes
	It shows that there was one PRU in London rated as inadequate. This was The Tuition Centre in the London borough of Havering which was rated inadequate by Ofsted in September 2011. The PRU had an inspection in November 2012 and was rated as good. This data is available from the Ofsted School Inspection report at:
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/133990
	We do not record pupil enrolment on a quarterly basis. The number on roll for PRUs is collected in the PRU Census and is available at:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00209478/s

Pupils: Bullying

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many incidents of (a) bullying between pupils and (b) verbal and physical abuse of school staff by pupils were recorded in schools in (i) Northampton, (ii) Corby constituency and (iii) England in each of the last three years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not collect information on the number of incidents of bullying or verbal and physical abuse. Information is collected on the reasons for exclusion. The numbers of permanent and fixed period exclusions classified as relating to bullying, verbal abuse against an adult and physical assault against an adult in Northamptonshire local authority, Corby constituency and England for 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/11 are shown in the table.
	All bullying and abuse of school staff is totally unacceptable. It is for head teachers to consider whether a pupil should be given a fixed-period exclusion, a permanent exclusion or other disciplinary penalty, taking account of the severity and circumstances of the incident.
	The most recent published information on permanent and fixed period exclusions is available in the 'Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England 2010/11' Statistical First Release(1)
	(1) http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/a00211337/
	
		
			 State-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools(1, 2, 3, 4):Number of fixed period and permanent exclusions by reason for exclusion. 2008/09 to 2010/11. Corby constituency, Northamptonshire local authority and England 
			  Fixed period exclusions 
			  2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			  Number of fixed period exclusions Percentage of school population(5) Number of fixed period exclusions Percentage of school population(5) Number of fixed period exclusions Percentage of school population(5) 
			 England       
			 Bullying 5,140 0.07 5,100 0.07 4,800 0.06 
			 Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult 78,350 1.05 69,190 0.93 65,170 0.87 
			 Physical assault against an adult 17,200 0.23 16,370 0.22 16,790 0.22 
			        
			 Northamptonshire local authority       
			 Bullying 78 0.07 59 0.06 107 0.10 
			 Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult 1,389 1.33 1,217 1.16 1,267 1.21 
			 Physical assault against an adult 269 0.26 263 0.25 263 0.25 
			        
			 Corby constituency       
			 Bullying 10 0.06 10 0.06 16 0.09 
		
	
	
		
			 Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult 231 1.34 208 1.20 198 1.14 
			 Physical assault against an adult 74 0.43 58 0.34 47 0.27 
		
	
	
		
			  Permanent exclusions 
			  2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 
			  Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of school population(6) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of school population(6) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of school population(6) 
			 England(7)       
			 Bullying 50 0.00 50 0.00 60 0.00 
			 Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult 710 0.01 630 0.01 510 0.01 
			 Physical assault against an adult 730 0.01 580 0.01 570 0.01 
			        
			 Northamptonshire local authority(7)       
			 Bullying * * 0 0.00 * * 
			 Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult 26 0.02 15 0.01 22 0.02 
			 Physical assault against an adult 12 0.01 13 0.01 18 0.02 
			        
			 Corby constituency       
			 Bullying 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 
			 Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult 5 0.03 * * 5 0.03 
			 Physical assault against an adult * * * * * * 
			 * = Less than 5 or a percentage based on less than 5. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (4) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (5) The number of fixed period exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) each January. (6) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) each January. (7 )National and local authority figures for the years 2008/09 and 2009/10 are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data, figures for the constituency are as reported by schools. Note: National totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census

Pupils: Disadvantaged

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in Corby constituency qualify for the pupil premium; and how much has been transferred to each school in Corby and East Northamptonshire under the pupil premium in each of the last two financial years.

David Laws: The pupil premium was introduced in April 2011. Pupil premium eligibility was extended in 2012-13 and funding is now provided to schools which have on roll pupils known to be currently eligible for free school meals or eligible for free school meals in the past six years (the deprivation premium); children in care who have been continuously looked after for at least six months (the looked after child premium); and children whose parents are serving or have previously served in the armed forces (the service child premium).
	In the financial year 2011-12, schools in Corby parliamentary constituency attracted £1,030,000 pupil premium funding in respect of 2,130 pupils eligible for the deprivation premium or service child premium. In the financial year 2012-13, pupil premium funding for these schools increased to £1,951,000, in respect of 3,180 pupils eligible for the deprivation premium or service child premium. Tables that show the breakdown of deprivation premium for each school will be placed in the Library. We do not publish service child premium figures at school level for data protection reasons.
	It is not possible to determine the number of parliamentary constituency pupils recorded on the alternative provision census or recorded as looked after children as these figures are both collected at local authority and not at establishment level.
	We provide pupil premium allocations at the national, local authority, parliamentary constituency and school level. We are not able to provide figures for East Northamptonshire, which is a local government district of Northamptonshire County Council.
	In financial year 2013-14, the pupil premium increased from £623 to £900 per pupil and the service premium increased from £250 to £300 per pupil. Pupil numbers from the January 2013 school census, local authority looked after children returns and Ministry of Defence service child pensions data used to determine the allocations for 2013-14 are not yet available. Illustrative allocations, based on numbers of pupils eligible for the deprivation premium or service child premium in 2012, suggest that Corby parliamentary constituency will attract around £2,814,000 pupil premium funding in 2013-14. Final allocations for 2013-14 based on 2013 pupil numbers will be published later this year.

Pupils: EU Nationals

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the educational attainment of children originally from 2004 EU accession countries studying in UK schools, relative to other children.

David Laws: The Department is responsible for education in England. We have not made an assessment of the educational attainment of children from the accession countries. The Department does not collect information on the nationality of pupils.

Pupils: Nationality

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in schools in England (a) were born in the UK and (b) were born outside the UK.

David Laws: It is not possible to answer this question directly with the available data. The School Census in England does not collect data on pupils' country of birth.
	It is possible, however, to use the Labour Force Survey (LFS) to make an estimate of the number of children of compulsory school-age born outside the UK. Of the 7.8 million children aged 5 to 15 years in the UK, 0.5 million (6.3%) were born outside the UK(1).
	It is not possible to use the LFS to analyse how many of these children are enrolled in UK schools.
	The 2011 ONS Census included questions on citizenship, the results of which should be available in 2013. This will provide further information on the number of school-age children born outside the UK, although again it will not indicate whether they are being educated in UK schools.
	The Government is committed to ensuring that all children are able to access the education services they need, regardless of their nationality.
	(1) Based on LFS analysis of the 4 pooled quarters from quarter 4 2011 to quarter 3 2012.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which 50 maintained (a) secondary and (b) primary schools, including voluntary-aided or controlled schools had the (i) highest and (ii) lowest per pupil funding in the most recent year for which figures are available; what the amount of that spending is in each such case; and in which local authority area each school is.

David Laws: Based on published school level budget shares from local authorities' Section 251 budget returns for 2012-13, and using pupil numbers from the January 2012 Annual School Census, the 50 highest funded maintained secondary schools are in the following table. These figures do not include funding retained centrally by local authorities.
	The 50 highest funded maintained secondary schools are in the following table.
	
		
			 50 Highest Funded Secondary Schools 2012-13 
			 LA No. LA School Name Estab Budget Share per pupil (£) 
			 877 Warrington Woolston Community High School 4204 17042 
			 356 Stockport Offerton School 4031 12422 
			 211 Tower Hamlets Sir John Cass Foundation and Redcoat Church of England Secondary School 4722 12172 
			 309 Haringey Heartlands High School 4705 11350 
			 888 Lancashire Hameldon Community College 4802 11054 
			 919 Hertfordshire The Heathcote School 4061 11014 
			 211 Tower Hamlets Bishop Challoner Catholic Collegiate Girls School 4726 10886 
			 211 Tower Hamlets Mulberry School for Girls 4242 10843 
			 888 Lancashire Skerton Community High School 4005 10786 
			 211 Tower Hamlets Morpeth School 4150 10178 
			 810 Kingston upon Hull City of David Lister School 4130 10124 
			 211 Tower Hamlets George Green's School 4505 10039 
		
	
	
		
			 208 Lambeth Charles Edward Brooke School 4509 9897 
			 919 Hertfordshire Francis Bacon School 5402 9791 
			 211 Tower Hamlets St Paul's Way Trust School 4277 9340 
			 210 Southwark St Saviour's and St Olave's Church of England School 4680 9269 
			 211 Tower Hamlets Central Foundation Girls' School 4507 9234 
			 815 North Yorkshire Northallerton College 4503 9189 
			 205 Hammersmith and Fulham Henry Compton Secondary School 4106 9132 
			 204 Hackney The Urswick School - A Church of England Secondary School 4697 9089 
			 358 Trafford Lostock College 4015 9025 
			 211 Tower Hamlets Raine's Foundation School 5400 9006 
			 815 North Yorkshire Settle College 4205 8905 
			 881 Essex Sawyers Hall College 5425 8817 
			 211 Tower Hamlets Oaklands School 4296 8747 
			 211 Tower Hamlets Bow School of Maths and Computing 4024 8666 
			 204 Hackney Haggerston School 4283 8639 
			 886 Kent The Malling School 5425 8497 
			 211 Tower Hamlets Langdon Park Community School 4105 8469 
			 933 Somerset Brymore School 5401 8397 
			 211 Tower Hamlets Swanlea School 4297 8371 
			 204 Hackney Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls School 4318 8262 
			 210 Southwark St Michael's Catholic College 5403 8237 
			 815 North Yorkshire Whitby Community College 4039 8235 
			 210 Southwark Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Secondary School 5405 8230 
			 204 Hackney Cardinal Pole Roman Catholic School 4714 8226 
			 208 Lambeth Lilian Baylis Technology School 4321 8203 
			 202 Camden South Camden Community School 4196 8170 
			 919 Hertfordshire The Astley Cooper School 4499 8147 
			 808 Stockton-on-Tees Bishopsgarth School 4105 8136 
			 211 Tower Hamlets Stepney Green Mathematics and Computing College 4276 8120 
			 213 Westminster St George RC School 4809 8118 
			 213 Westminster St Augustine's CofE High School 4723 8105 
			 392 North Tyneside Norham Community Technology College 4008 8103 
			 204 Hackney Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form 4310 8081 
			 383 Leeds City of Leeds School 4031 7994 
			 351 Bury Radcliffe Riverside School 4801 7936 
			 209 Lewisham Conisborough College 4249 7919 
			 358 Trafford Broadoak School 4012 7891 
			 204 Hackney Our Lady's Convent Roman Catholic High School 4641 7886 
		
	
	The 50 lowest funded maintained secondaries are listed as follows:
	
		
			 50 Lowest Funded Secondary Schools 2012-13 
			 LA No. LA School Name Estab Budget Share per pupil (£) 
			 815 North Yorkshire Settle Middle School 4220 2201 
			 302 Barnet The Henrietta Barnett School 4752 2585 
			 302 Barnet St Michael's Catholic Grammar School 5404 2690 
			 302 Barnet Finchley Catholic High School 5405 2708 
			 302 Barnet St James' Catholic High School 5407 2716 
			 302 Barnet Copthall School 4210 2840 
			 815 North Yorkshire Ingleton Middle School 4201 2988 
			 925 Lincolnshire Spalding Grammar School 4603 3013 
			 929 Northumberland Ponteland Middle School 4150 3070 
			 925 Lincolnshire Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Horncastle 5411 3099 
			 815 North Yorkshire Raincliffe School 4071 3102 
			 302 Barnet Friern Barnet School 4003 3129 
		
	
	
		
			 925 Lincolnshire Kesteven and Grantham Girls' School 4004 3139 
			 925 Lincolnshire The Queen Elizabeth's High School, Gainsborough 4065 3154 
			 925 Lincolnshire Spalding High School 4027 3156 
			 925 Lincolnshire Boston High School 4022 3173 
			 925 Lincolnshire The Boston Grammar School 5424 3183 
			 836 Poole Broadstone Middle School 4181 3228 
			 302 Barnet St Mary's CofE High School 5403 3259 
			 925 Lincolnshire The King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth 5405 3259 
			 302 Barnet Bishop Douglass School Finchley 5408 3339 
			 929 Northumberland Richard Coates Church of England Middle School 4800 3367 
			 925 Lincolnshire The Skegness Grammar School 5400 3373 
			 929 Northumberland St Joseph's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Middle School 4654 3399 
			 835 Dorset St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Middle School, Colehill 4604 3402 
			 929 Northumberland Corbridge Middle School 4079 3440 
			 835 Dorset Emmanuel Middle Church of England Voluntary Aided School 4614 3457 
			 835 Dorset St Mary's Church of England Middle School, Puddletown 4802 3465 
			 929 Northumberland Ovingham Middle School 4199 3479 
			 935 Suffolk St Louis Catholic Middle School 4602 3480 
			 935 Suffolk St James CofE VA Middle School 4601 3487 
			 935 Suffolk Beyton Middle School 4011 3490 
			 929 Northumberland Highfield Middle School 4198 3500 
			 835 Dorset Lockyer's Middle School 4034 3505 
			 865 Wiltshire St John's Marlborough 5405 3506 
			 885 Worcestershire St John's CofE Foundation Middle School 5404 3527 
			 879 Plymouth Plymouth High School for Girls 4155 3538 
			 835 Dorset St Osmund's Church of England Voluntary Aided Middle School, Dorchester 4606 3549 
			 929 Northumberland Meadowdale Middle School 4168 3591 
			 835 Dorset Cranborne Middle School 4020 3593 
			 822 Bedford Borough Marston Vale Middle School 4035 3603 
			 392 North Tyneside Valley Gardens Middle School 4026 3649 
			 929 Northumberland Hexham Middle School 4441 3655 
			 835 Dorset Ferndown Middle School 4184 3670 
			 835 Dorset Allenbourn Middle School 4029 3680 
			 935 Suffolk Stowmarket Middle School 4061 3699 
			 935 Suffolk Ixworth Middle School 4015 3706 
			 822 Bedford Borough Daubeney Middle School 4098 3710 
			 885 Worcestershire Walkwood CofE Middle School 4579 3711 
			 935 Suffolk Bacton Community Middle School 4054 3714 
		
	
	The 50 highest funded maintained primary schools are listed as follows:
	
		
			 50 Highest Funded Primary Schools 2012-13 
			 LA No. LA School Name Estab Budget Share per pupil (£) 
			 929 Northumberland Cornhill First School 2376 44583 
			 878 Devon West and East Putford School 2250 23900 
			 860 Staffordshire Flash CofE (C) Primary School 3157 20697 
			 929 Northumberland Holy Island Church of England First School 3447 20226 
			 929 Northumberland Netherton Northside First School 2189 19372 
			 929 Northumberland Kielder Community First School 2254 17336 
			 929 Northumberland Branton Community First School 2053 16649 
			 888 Lancashire Winmarleigh Church of England Primary School 3550 16571 
			 865 Wiltshire Lypiatt Primary School 2029 16389 
			 893 Shropshire Hopton Wafers CofE (Controlled) Primary School 3132 16273 
			 855 Leicestershire Somerby Primary School 2094 15875 
		
	
	
		
			 840 Durham Wearhead Primary School 2324 13275 
			 888 Lancashire Out Rawcliffe Church of England Primary School 3567 13055 
			 840 Durham Forest of Teesdale Primary School 2410 12964 
			 811 East Riding of Yorkshire Langtoft Primary School 2737 12857 
			 815 North Yorkshire Gunnerside Methodist Primary School 3207 11765 
			 926 Norfolk The King George VI School, Great Bircham 3099 11748 
			 830 Derbyshire Stoney Middleton CofE (C) Primary School 3093 11675 
			 888 Lancashire Bleasdale Church of England Primary School 3517 11542 
			 926 Norfolk Ten Mile Bank Primary School 2198 11299 
			 826 Milton Keynes Emberton School 2035 11037 
			 850 Hampshire Ampfield Church of England Primary School 3003 11026 
			 888 Lancashire Pinfold Primary School 2156 10856 
			 815 North Yorkshire Rosedale Abbey Community Primary School 2098 10538 
			 929 Northumberland Linton First School 2105 10503 
			 878 Devon Membury Primary School 2052 10498 
			 830 Derbyshire Hartington CofE Primary School 3041 10070 
			 341 Liverpool Phoenix Primary School 3026 10054 
			 830 Derbyshire Biggin CofE Primary School 3040 10039 
			 908 Cornwall Garras Community Primary School 2114 10009 
			 815 North Yorkshire Goathland Primary School 2043 9946 
			 826 Milton Keynes Sherington Church of England School 3005 9919 
			 393 South Tyneside Fellgate Primary School 2085 9908 
			 888 Lancashire Ormskirk Lathom Park Church of England Primary School 3029 9905 
			 826 Milton Keynes Stoke Goldington Church of England School 3006 9902 
			 888 Lancashire Melling St Wilfrid Church of England Primary School 3535 9867 
			 830 Derbyshire Elton CofE Primary School 3033 9783 
			 888 Lancashire Thorneyholme Roman Catholic Primary School, Dunsop Bridge 3810 9782 
			 815 North Yorkshire St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Bishop Thornton 3370 9711 
			 815 North Yorkshire Luttons Community Primary School 2406 9684 
			 888 Lancashire Bolton by Bowland Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School 3809 9629 
			 878 Devon Charleton Church of England Primary School 3104 9625 
			 878 Devon Clyst Honiton Church of England Primary School 3005 9609 
			 919 Hertfordshire Anstey First School 2223 9607 
			 878 Devon Highampton Community Primary School 2255 9583 
			 850 Hampshire Froxfield Church of England Infant School 3062 9575 
			 916 Gloucestershire Coopers Edge School 2185 9529 
			 888 Lancashire Holmeswood Methodist School 3147 9413 
			 840 Durham Rookhope Primary School 2321 9410 
			 935 Suffolk Monks Eleigh Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School 3047 9299 
		
	
	The 50 lowest funded maintained primaries are listed as follows:
	
		
			 LA No. LA School Name Estab Budget Share per pupil (£) 
			 50 Lowest Funded Primary Schools     
			 893 Shropshire Whitchurch CofE Infant School 3121 1576 
			 893 Shropshire Sundorne Infant School 2098 1722 
			 893 Shropshire Market Drayton Infant School 2070 1738 
			 302 Barnet Beis Yaakov Primary School 2079 1894 
			 302 Barnet Akiva School 3520 1906 
			 302 Barnet St Mary's CofE Primary School 3311 1914 
		
	
	
		
			 391 Newcastle upon Tyne Wharrier Street Primary School 2950 1916 
			 302 Barnet Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School 3510 1918 
			 302 Barnet Rosh Pinah Primary School 3512 1951 
			 302 Barnet Foulds School 2025 1986 
			 302 Barnet Trent CofE Primary School 3316 2026 
			 302 Barnet Osidge Primary School 5201 2031 
			 302 Barnet Menorah Primary School 3513 2041 
			 302 Barnet Brookland Junior School 2007 2046 
			 302 Barnet St Catherine's RC School 3504 2050 
			 302 Barnet Frith Manor Primary School 2026 2064 
			 302 Barnet Christ Church Primary School 3302 2078 
			 302 Barnet Garden Suburb Infant School 2028 2081 
			 302 Barnet Danegrove Primary School 2073 2091 
			 893 Shropshire Ludlow Infant School 2065 2092 
			 302 Barnet Menorah Foundation School 5949 2095 
			 302 Barnet Garden Suburb Junior School 2027 2104 
			 302 Barnet St John's CofE Junior Mixed and Infant School 3307 2112 
			 302 Barnet St Vincent's Catholic Primary School 3506 2120 
			 302 Barnet St Mary's and St John's CofE Primary School 3521 2121 
			 302 Barnet Cromer Road Primary School 2017 2123 
			 302 Barnet Woodridge Primary School 2054 2124 
			 302 Barnet Brookland Infant and Nursery School 2008 2131 
			 302 Barnet St Andrew's CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School, Totteridge 3315 2131 
			 302 Barnet Monken Hadley CofE Primary School 3305 2131 
			 302 Barnet St Theresa's RC School 3507 2136 
			 302 Barnet St Agnes RC School 3502 2166 
			 302 Barnet The Annunciation RC Junior School 3514 2174 
			 893 Shropshire Ifton Heath Primary School 2056 2175 
			 302 Barnet Monkfrith Primary School 2042 2180 
			 302 Barnet Holly Park Primary School 2032 2194 
			 302 Barnet Holy Trinity CofE Primary School 3304 2195 
			 302 Barnet All Saints' CofE Primary School N20 3317 2202 
			 302 Barnet Parkfield Primary School 2000 2213 
			 302 Barnet St Paul's CofE Primary School NW7 3314 2213 
			 302 Barnet Church Hill School 2011 2214 
			 302 Barnet Hasmonean Primary School 3516 2216 
			 302 Barnet Mathilda Marks-Kennedy Jewish Primary School 5948 2218 
			 302 Barnet Moss Hall Infant School 2044 2228 
			 302 Barnet Our Lady of Lourdes RC School 3501 2234 
			 302 Barnet St Joseph's RC Junior School 3509 2237 
			 893 Shropshire The Wilfred Owen School 2139 2247 
			 302 Barnet St Mary's CofE Primary School, East Barnet 3312 2261 
			 302 Barnet Martin Primary School 3523 2265 
			 302 Barnet The Annunciation RC Infant School 3500 2267

Pupils: Personal Records

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place a legal obligation on schools to share information on individual pupils with the schools and organisations to which they refer those pupils.

David Laws: If a pupil moves to another school in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland then their 'common transfer file' and educational record must be passed to the new school, as set out in the Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/1437). The information must be transferred within 15 school days of any request from the pupil's new school.

Pupils: Travellers

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of Traveller and Gypsy children in the five most recent secondary school cohorts completed their secondary school education.

David Laws: holding answer 18 March 2013
	The requested information on the retention of Gypsy/Roma and Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils of compulsory school age is not currently available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. An analysis of Gypsy/Roma and Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils dropping out of school is, however, being produced in response to a recent request from the Advisory Council for the Education of Romany and other Travellers and will be placed in the House Libraries when complete.

Railways

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his private office has spent on first class rail travel in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: In the 12 months to December 2012, the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), undertook three journeys by first class rail which cost £338.86. In two out of the three journeys, the first class ticket was the cheaper option.
	Section 10 of the Ministerial Code states that
	“Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements.”
	The vast majority of the time, the Secretary of State travels on standard class rail, which is in line with the Ministerial Code.

Redundancy Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible received payments under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last five years; and at what total cost in each such year.

Elizabeth Truss: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Number of voluntary early releases—the Department Cost (£) 
			 2011-12 177 9,300,000 
			 2010-11 141 7,700,000 
			 2009-10 185 23,000,000 
			 2008-09 93 6,500,000 
			 2007-08 117 1,900,000 
		
	
	
		
			 April 2011-March 2012 Number of voluntary early releases Cost (£) 
			 General teaching Council for England (GTCE) 80 1,494,000 
			 National College (NC) 30 1,386,000 
			 Office for the Children's Commissioner (OCC) 1 11,500 
			 Office of Qualifications and Examinations regulation (Ofqual) 0 0 
			 Office of Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) 1 21,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Partnerships for Schools (PFS) 21 1,360,000 
			 Qualifications and Curriculum development Agency (QCDA) 50 1,087,000 
			 Schools Food Trust (SFT) 1 18,500 
			 Training and Development Agency (TDA) 0 0 
			 Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) 5 384,000 
		
	
	
		
			 April 2010-March 2011 Number of voluntary early releases Cost (£) 
			 British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) 143 4,600,000 
			 Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) 79 1,490,000 
			 Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) 11 130,000 
			 General teaching Council for England (GTCE) 0 0 
			 National College (NC) 20 288,000 
			 Office for the Children's Commissioner (OCC) 0 0 
			 Office of Qualifications and Examinations regulation (Ofqual) 0 0 
			 Office of Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) 26 1,100,000 
			 Partnerships for Schools (PFS) 12 475,000 
			 Qualifications and Curriculum development Agency (QCDA) 140 6,000,000 
			 Schools Food Trust (SFT) 12 213,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Training and Development Agency (TDA) 21 1,900,000 
			 Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) 0 0 
		
	
	Information for additional years could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Figures for 2012/13 will be published as part of the Department’s annual report and accounts. Figures for earlier years have also been included in appropriate annual reports and accounts, The information published on use of the compensation scheme changed between the publication of the 2009/10 and 2010/11 accounts. In the 2009/10 accounts and before the reference is to early departure costs.
	In 2010 the compensation scheme was reformed. In particular under the previous terms there could be costs extending for up to 10 years from a departure while under the reformed scheme all of the costs fall within the year of departure. The NAO have estimated that under the reformed scheme, exits costs are around 40-50% less than the previous compensation scheme. The reformed scheme allows for greater distinction between voluntary and compulsory exits and is designed to encourage voluntary rather than compulsory departures.

School Leaving

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to reduce the school drop-out rates in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Birmingham.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 23 April 2013
	Parents, schools and local authorities have the responsibility to ensure children, who should be at school, actually attend.
	We have, however, taken action to tackle poor attendance. We have increased the level of penalty notices for unauthorised absence and reduced the time scales for paying them; and changed the threshold for defining 'persistent absence' to encourage schools to tackle patterns of poor attendance earlier.

School Leaving

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1195W, on school leaving: Birmingham, what steps the Government takes to monitor the number of pupils failing each year to complete their education at school until the age of 16.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 23 April 2013
	The Government does not directly monitor the number of children who drop out of school. However, there are various requirements on schools and local authorities when a child of compulsory school age drops out of school or is missing from education. The Government has provided statutory guidance to local authorities on how they should fulfil their obligation to ensure children are not missing education.
	Schools must inform the relevant local authority, at intervals agreed between them, of pupils who have missed 10 or more continuous days from school without authorisation. Local authorities are also required to make arrangements to identify any children of compulsory school age in their area who are not registered pupils at school and are not receiving suitable education in their area. Where such a child is not receiving an education, the authority is required to serve notice to the parents requiring them to demonstrate that their child is receiving suitable education. If the parent fails to satisfy the local authority within a particular period, the local authority is required to serve a School Attendance Order requiring the parent to register their child at the school named in the order. A parent who fails to comply with the order may be prosecuted.
	Local authorities also have a duty to arrange suitable full-time education for children of compulsory school age who for reasons of illness, exclusion or otherwise, are unable to receive suitable education unless such arrangements are made for them.

Schools

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage closer co-operation between state and independent schools.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government strongly encourages co-operation between state-funded schools and those in the independent sector. The Independent Schools Council reported in 2012 that over 90% of its members, more than 1,100 independent schools, were involved with partnership activities including sponsorship or co-sponsorship of academies, access for maintained school pupils to specific lessons or other educational activities, preparation for entry to higher education and secondment of teaching staff to maintained schools. The Independent State School Partnership Forum meets three times a year to consider how co-operation can be encouraged through government policy making and through helping schools to share good practice.

Schools: Admissions

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what the current maximum number of children it is possible for all schools in England to accommodate in each year group from reception to year 13; and what estimate he has made of the maximum number of children it will be possible for all schools in England to accommodate in each year group from reception to year 13 in each of the next five years;
	(2)  how many pupils there were in each year group in schools in England in each of the last five years; and if he will estimate the number of pupils in each year group in each of the next 10 years;
	(3)  if he will estimate the total number of classes in schools in England for each year group.

David Laws: Information on the current and projected maximum number of children it is possible for all schools in England to accommodate in each year group from reception to year 13 is not collected centrally. The Department collects data on school capacity via an annual survey, and publishes information on school capacity at local authority level(1).
	Information on the numbers of pupils by year group was published for the first time in 2012. Prior to this, data were only published by pupil age at the start of the academic year.
	In January 2012 there were 606,000 reception pupils in state funded primary schools in England. The remaining year groups in primary school had pupil numbers between 512,000 and 589,500. Pupil numbers in years seven to 11 in state funded secondary schools ranged from 533,500 to 570,000(2).
	Numbers of pupils for previous years and national projections going forwards are published for primary and secondary schools in total, not by year group. The underlying data includes projections by single year of age, and is published alongside the release.
	In 2008 there were nearly 4 million primary school pupils and 2.9 million secondary school pupils. Numbers were similar in 2012 at 4.1 million primary school pupils and 2.8 million secondary school pupils. By 2017 primary school pupils are projected to grow to just under 4.6 million while secondary school pupils are static at 2.8 million. Projections are only made to 2021 where 4.8 million primary school pupils are predicted and secondary school pupils will grow to nearly 3.1 million(3).
	In 2012 there were 55,500 key stage 1 classes (including reception) containing 1.5 million pupils and just under 68,500 key stage 2 classes with 1.8 million pupils. In total at primary school there were just over 144,000 classes containing 3.9 million pupils in 2012 while at secondary school there were 148,000 classes containing 3 million pupils(4).
	(1 )Source:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2011-to-2012
	(2)()Source:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2012
	(3 )Source:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-projections-future-trends-in-pupil-numbers-march-2013
	(4)Source:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2012

Schools: Costs

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what comparative assessment he has made of the (a) cost base, (b) back-office costs and (c) staff costs of (i) maintained schools, (ii) academies and (iii) free schools.

Elizabeth Truss: We have not made an assessment of this kind.

Schools: Governing Bodies

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to implement recommendation 78 of Lord Heseltine's report on growth, entitled No Stone Unturned on membership of school governing bodies; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government's response to recommendation 78 in Lord Heseltine's report made it clear that local employers have an important role in school governance, and that successful business people have skills and experience that can help governing bodies operate effectively.
	School governors' core duties are to set strategic direction, hold head teachers to account for the educational performance of the school, and make sure school funding is well spent. We have recently given governing bodies of maintained schools greater flexibility to appoint governors with the right skills.
	We recognise that schools may need help identifying skilled governors, particularly those with a business background. That is why we have committed funding to SGOSS (the School Governors' One-Stop Shop) until the end of this Parliament to offer a free service to schools to help them recruit highly skilled governors from the business world.
	This year, SGOSS will increase significantly the number of governors they recruit and place, particularly in weaker schools where governing bodies are most in need of more highly skilled governors.

Schools: Sandwell

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has any plans to visit schools in Sandwell; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 18 January 2013
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has no current plans to visit schools in Sandwell. The Secretary of State for Education offered to visit schools in Sandwell, however, the local authority preferred to send representatives to London to meet at the Department for Education. The Secretary of State for Education agreed to this and the meeting took place.

Schools: Sports

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy to ring-fence the funding of school sport in order to build an Olympic legacy.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 18 April 2013
	On 16 March 2013 the Prime Minister announced new, cross-government funding of £150 million a year for two years for physical education (PE) and sport in schools, to be made available to all maintained schools with primary school aged pupils. This funding will be ring-fenced and it has been made clear to schools that it should be spent on improving their provision of PE and sport.

Schools: Sports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that schools are able to provide facilities for a diverse range of sports in (a) winter and (b) summer.

David Laws: The recently published School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 stipulate that schools must provide suitable outdoor space to enable physical education (PE) to be provided to pupils in accordance with the school curriculum and to enable pupils to play outside.
	Individual schools are responsible for ensuring they provide a broad and balanced curriculum, which includes the provision of PE and sport. It is their responsibility to determine what facilities best suit the needs of their pupils.

Schools: Standards

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of schools (a) have access to national and local leaders of education, teaching schools and leading teachers and (b) are in partnership with a strong school.

David Laws: All schools in England have the opportunity to access support from a national leader of education (NLE), local leader of education (LLE) or teaching school.
	There are currently 2,028 LLEs, 805 NLEs, and 361 teaching schools, located across England, representing primary, secondary and special sectors. A breakdown by region and role is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Region NLEs LLEs Teaching schools 
			 East Midlands 64 187 24 
			 East of England 83 210 46 
			 London 150 206 62 
			 North East 50 100 20 
			 North West 123 325 52 
			 South East 104 312 51 
			 South West 71 212 31 
			 West Midlands 80 232 41 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 76 244 34 
			 Total 805 2,028 361 
		
	
	‘Leading teachers' is a term used by some local authorities. The Department for Education does not collect information about their numbers.
	Many partnerships between schools are voluntary, which means that the Department does not hold information about them. According to Department records:
	1 in 8 schools in England are, already members of a teaching school alliance;
	In 2012/13, according to school improvement partnerships reported to the Department, over 2,100 schools were supported by NLEs and LLEs.

Schools: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the required number of (a) primary and (b) secondary school places in (i) Brigg and Goole constituency and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the next five years.

David Laws: It is the responsibility of each local authority to balance the supply and demand for primary and secondary school places in their area and secure a place for every child of statutory age who wants one.
	The Department collects information from each authority on school capacity through an annual survey, which includes local authorities' own pupil forecasts (five years for primary places and seven years for secondary places). The data is collected at local authority and planning area levels and is not broken down by constituency.
	The data shows that all local authorities within Yorkshire and the Humber are anticipating an increase in the number of primary pupils in each of the next five years. At secondary level, around half of the local authorities are predicting an increase in secondary pupil numbers over the next five years.
	The Government has allocated £272.59 million to local authorities in Yorkshire and the Humber to create additional school places in 2011-15-an increase from £123.83 million in 2007-11.

Science: GCSE

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in (a) Birmingham, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Birmingham Selly Oak constituency took (i) one and (ii) more than one science GCSEs in the last three years for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 23 April 2013
	The requested information can be found in the following tables.
	
		
			 Number of pupils(1,2,3) entering science GCSEs(4) in Birmingham Selly Oak constituency(5), Birmingham(5) and the West Midlands(6) region, years: 2009/10 to 2011/12(7) 
			  2009/10 2010/11 
			  Birmingham Selly Oak constituency(5) Birmingham(5) West Midlands(6) Birmingham Selly Oak constituency(5) Birmingham(5) West Midlands(6) 
			 Number of pupils at the end of Key stage 4(1,2,3) 1,456 12,313 64,768 1,650 12,159 63,386 
			 Number of pupils taking one science GCSE(4) 309 1,451 7,028 208 1,732 10.317 
			 Number of pupils taking more than one science GCSE(4) 859 7,815 47,419 947 6,670 38,902 
		
	
	
		
			  2011/12 
			  Birmingham Selly Oak constituency(5) Birmingham(5) West Midlands(6) 
			 Number of pupils at the end of Key stage 4(1,2,3) 1,463 12,281 63,30.9 
			 Number of pupils taking one science GCSE(4) 239 1,410 6,861 
			 Number of pupils taking more than one science GCSE(4) 750 6,967 39,210 
			 (1) Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (2) Figures include all state-funded schools (including CTCs and academies). (3) Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in the given academic year including attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (4) GCSEs only (including iGCSEs). GCSE science subjects included are Physics, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Single science, Double science (counted as 2 GCSEs), Additional science, Core science and Applied science (counted as 2 GCSEs) (5) Parliamentary constituency and local authority figures are based on the postcode of the school. (6) Regional figures are based on the region of the local authority maintaining the school, or for academies and CTCs, the region in which the school is located. (7) Figures for 2009/10 and 2010/11 are based on final data, 2011/12 figures are based on revised data. Source: National Pupil Database

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals his Department engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at such consultations.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department has not engaged with external organisations or individuals as part of the Scotland Analysis programme as education policy is devolved to the Scottish Government.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many members of his Department's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of this work.

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State has not allocated any staff resource to work on the Scotland Analysis programme and there has been no cost to the public purse.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what meetings he or his officials have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting.

Elizabeth Truss: There have been no meetings between the Secretary of State or his officials and the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and how much any such consultancy has cost.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department has not commissioned any external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis

Security

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he was issued with a security pass for the Cabinet Office.

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) has not been issued with a security pass for the Cabinet Office.

Senior Civil Servants

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many officials at director and deputy director level there were in the safeguarding division of his Department at (a) May 2010 and (b) January 2013; and how many there are projected to be at the end of the redundancy programme by May 2015.

Elizabeth Truss: Safeguarding Group had one director and four deputy director posts in May 2010. In January 2013 Safeguarding Group had one director and three deputy director posts. The Department's business planning process is on-going and figures for 2015 are still to be confirmed and will be kept under review.

Social Networking

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he or his special advisers currently use private social network accounts for the purposes of official Government business; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: Official Government business is conducted only on the Department for Education social network accounts, and not through any private social network accounts. Special advisers and Ministers contribute to the Department's accounts, as is the practice in other Government Departments. All content issued from the Department's accounts is subject to the Civil Service Code and the Cabinet Office's social media guidelines.

Social Work

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects a Chief Social Worker to be appointed.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 22 April 2013
	The Department for Education (DFE) and Department of Health (DH) are in the final stages of a recruitment exercise to appoint two Chief Social Workers, one to focus on Children and Families Social Work and the other on Adult Social Work. The Chief Social Workers will work collaboratively in a single Office of the Chief Social Worker.

Special Educational Needs

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what plans he has to establish a national framework for local offers;
	(2)  how many meetings (a) he and (b) the Children's Minister has had with representatives from charities to discuss the special educational needs reforms in the Children and Families Bill since September 2012.

Edward Timpson: Local authorities would be required to involve local children, young people and families in developing their local offer to take account of their needs and aspirations. We have published indicative draft Regulations on the local offer and an indicative draft of the special educational needs Code of Practice to support Parliament's consideration of the Children and Families Bill. We will continue to develop these detailed requirements in light of the learning and effective practice developed by the pathfinders; the debates in the House on the Bill; and other feedback from interested parties. The local offer will enable families to see readily what they can expect from mainstream services across education, health and social care; how to access more specialist support; how decisions are made including eligibility criteria for accessing services where appropriate; and how to complain or appeal.
	I have led on meetings to discuss the SEN reforms in the Children and Families Bill and have held 20 meetings with representatives of charities since September 2012.

Special Educational Needs

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether people aged 25 and under who study higher education at a further education college will be eligible for an education, health and care plan.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 26 March 2013
	One of the proposals of the Special Educational Needs Disability Green Paper published in May 2012 is the introduction of a single assessment process and an Education, Health and Care Plan for young people aged under 25 years of age to replace the existing Statement of Educational Need and Learning Difficulty Assessment processes.
	Young people undertaking higher education courses—whether in further education colleges or in higher education institutions—will not be eligible for an education, health and care plan; however these young people will be able to apply for disabled students allowance.
	Further education institutions offering higher education courses will of course remain under duties set out in the draft legislation with respect to young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities for their non-higher education offer. The local authority will assess whether an individual will benefit from such a plan in accordance with the Bill and draft legislation that is currently being debated before Parliament.

Staff

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many new safeguarding staff have been recruited to join the workforce in the safeguarding department since May 2010 via (a) external recruitment, (b) internal transfer from another team or directorate in his Department, (c) transfer from another public sector post and (d) another route; and to which grades they were appointed.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 April 2013
	The Department for Education does not retain this type or level of information.

Staff

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 144W, on staff, how many safeguarding staff in his Department, at each grade, have left since May 2010 due to (a) resignation, (b) retirement, (c) voluntary exit scheme, (d) transfer to another team or directorate in his Department, (e) transfer to another public sector post and (f) another reason.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 April 2013
	The Department for Education does not retain information on staff departures except where members of staff have left through a voluntary exit scheme. This data is only held at directorate, not group level.

Staff

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 144W, on staff, if he will provide organisation charts of the workforce in the safeguarding department, produced or retained by the Department, directorate support team or corporate services for (a) May 2010 and (b) February 2013.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 April 2013
	The organisation chart for the Department for Education's Safeguarding Group from 30 January 2013 will be placed in the Library of the House, with names redacted. We do not hold an organisational chart for May 2010.

Staff

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 144W, on staff, if he will provide a breakdown by (a) grade and (b) job title of the workforce numbers listed in the tables of safeguarding staff for (i) February 2013 and (ii) May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 April 2013
	A breakdown of staff by grade in Safeguarding Group for (a) May 2010 and (b) February 2013 is as follows. The Department for Education does not retain information on individual job titles.
	
		
			 Safeguarding staff in May 2010—full-time equivalent by grade 
			  Safeguarding Group 
			 EA AO 7.11 
			 EO 18.33 
		
	
	
		
			 HEO 11.82 
			 SEO 14.00 
			 GRADE 7 12.40 
			 GRADE 6 7.08 
			 SCS Band 1 3.00 
			 SCS Band 1A 1.00 
			 SCS Band 2 1.00 
		
	
	
		
			 Safeguarding staff in February 2013—full-time equivalent by grade 
			  Safeguarding Group 
			 EO 13.00 
			 HEO 16.92 
			 SEO 27.41 
			 GRADE 7 20.44 
			 GRADE 6 7.00 
			 SCS Band 1 3.74 
			 SCS Band 2 1.00

Supply Teachers

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was spent on supply teachers in England and Wales for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the 2011-12 academic year.

David Laws: The available information on how much was spent on supply teachers in England for maintained primary and secondary schools in the 2011-12 financial year is contained within the following table. Information on expenditure on these items in academies is currently being collated, and will be placed in the Library of the House as soon as it is available. We do not collect information for Wales as this is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.
	
		
			 £000 
			  Primary Schools Secondary Schools 
			 Supply teaching staff 249,025 71,524 
			 Supply teacher insurance 110,796 25,740 
			 Agency supply teaching staff 260,731 141,102 
			 Total expenditure on supply teachers 620,552 238,366 
			 Receipts from supply teacher insurance claims 78,359 19,361 
			 Total expenditure less income on supply teachers 542,193 219,005

Teachers

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many specialist teachers in (a) physics, (b) chemistry and (c) mathematics were in the education system in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

David Laws: Information for physics, chemistry and mathematics for 2010 and 2011 is contained in the tables, extracted from table 13 of the School Workforce in England Statistical First Releases for 2010 and 2011(1).
	(1) The latest available information for all subjects is accessible here:
	www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/statistics-by-topic/teachersandschoolworkforce/a00205723/school-workforce-in-england-provisional-nov-201
	Figures for 2012 and 2013 are not yet available. 2012 figures are due to be published on 30 April in table 13 of the School Workforce in England Statistical First Release for 2012 which will be available on the Department's website.
	
		
			 Highest post A-level qualifications(1,2) held by publicly funded secondary school teachers (head count) in the subjects(3) they taught to year groups 7-13 in 2010 and 2011, year: November of each year, coverage: England 
			  Highest level of qualification(1) held in a relevant subject(3,4) 
			  Degree or higher(5) Bachelor of education Postgraduate certificate of education 
			 Subject(3) % ± CI(7) % ± CI(7) % ± CI(7) 
			 2010          
			 Physics(8) 57.7 ± 1.7 3.0 ± 0.6 7.5 ± 0.9 
			 Chemistry(8) 60.2 ± 1.5 2.1 ± 0.4 10.0 ± 0.9 
			 Mathematics 44.7 ± 0.7 7.2 ± 0.4 19.8 ± 0.6 
			           
			 2011          
			 Physics(8) 56.1 ± 1.9 3.0 ± 0.7 6.3 ± 1.0 
			 Chemistry(8) 65.8 ± 1.6 2.4 ± 0.5 6.2 ± 0.8 
			 Mathematics 45.4 ± 0.8 7.1 ± 0.4 18.2 ± 0.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Highest level of qualification(1) held in a relevant subject(3,4)    
			  Other qualification(6) Any relevant post A-level qualification No relevant post A-level qualification Total head count 
			 Subject(3) % ± CI(7) % % (Thousand) 
			 2010       
			 Physics(8) — ± n/a 68.6 31.4 5.6 
			 Chemistry(8) — ± n/a 72.7 27.3 6.7 
			 Mathematics 2.3 ± 0.2 74.0 26.0 33.0 
			        
		
	
	
		
			 2011       
			 Physics(8) 0.8 ± 0.3 66.3 33.7 5.9 
			 Chemistry(8) 0.6 ± 0.3 75.0 25.0 6.9 
			 Mathematics 2.2 ± 0.2 72.9 27.1 35.2 
			 “—” = Nil or negligible. n/a = Not applicable. (1) Where a teacher has more than one post A level qualification in the same subject, the qualification level is determined by the highest level reading from left (Degree or higher) to right (Other Qualification). For example, teachers shown under PGCE have a PGCE but not a Degree. (2) Not including qualifications in Special Educational Needs provision. (3) Teachers are counted once against each subject which they are teaching. Head counts are used, so a teacher teaching French and German would be counted once in each. (4) A full list of what was deemed as a 'relevant' qualification subject for each curriculum subject taught can be found on the SFR home page for 2011. (5) Includes Doctorates and other Level 8 qualifications, Masters and other Level 7 qualifications (e.g. Post Graduate certificates and diplomas), first degrees (excluding BEds) and other level 6 qualifications (e.g. graduate certificates and diplomas). (6) Includes Certificate of Education, Non-UK Qualifications where the level was not provided and Other Qualification at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 4 or 5 and above e.g. diplomas or higher education and further education, foundation degrees, higher national diplomas and certificates of higher education. (7) Confidence intervals have been calculated around the proportions as not all schools were able to submit curriculum information, and not all qualifications returns were complete. Qualifications information was either not provided, or the subject field was missing for 12% of the teachers in schools submitting curriculum data. The confidence intervals show the statistical accuracy for the data, and give a range within which we can be reasonably sure (95% certain) that the true value actually lies. (8) Teachers qualified in biology, chemistry, or physics are treated to teach both combined/general science and other science. Notes: 1. Percentages are row percentages, and based on the number of teachers for whom curriculum and qualifications information was provided. 2. Numbers rounded to the nearest 100 and numbers below 50 are shown as nil or negligible. 3. Totals may not appear equal to the sum of the component parts because of rounding. Source: School Workforce Census Base: 139,176 secondary level teachers (unweighted head count) in 2010 and 150,852 (unweighted head count) in 2011

Teachers: Pay

Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers earn more than £150,000 per annum.

David Laws: In November 2011 there were 20 full-time qualified teachers (this figure is primarily head teachers and academy principals rather than classroom teachers) in service in publicly funded schools in England who earned more than £150,000. This is the latest information available.
	Further information on teachers' salaries is published in the Statistical First Release 'School Workforce in England, November 2011' which is available at the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00205723/school-workforce-in-england-provisional-nov-2011

Teachers: Training

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many inspections of the initial teacher education undertaken by Ofsted since September 2012 were of (a) higher education providers, (b) higher education providers who offer further education provision only and (c) school-based providers who offer teacher qualifications validated by a university; and what number of training places for initial teacher education were offered by each provider.

David Laws: holding answer 22 April 2013
	The first part of this question relates to inspections of initial teacher education undertaken by Ofsted since September 2012. These matters fall to Ofsted and I have asked Sir Michael Wilshaw, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, to write to the hon. Member.
	The Department for Education does not hold data on training places broken down in the form requested. Places are allocated to higher education institutions (HEIs), school-centred initial teacher training (ITT) providers, and providers where trainees are employed by a school. The Department does not record whether providers offer teacher qualifications validated by a university or the number of further education ITT places offered by higher education institutions.

Teachers: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teaching staff on average there are per child in schools in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber.

David Laws: holding answer 22 April 2013
	In November 2010, the pupil-to-teacher ratio in the Brigg and Goole constituency was 18.3 and in the Yorkshire and the Humber region was 18.0. The figures are calculated using January 2011 pupil numbers from the school census, and November 2010 regular qualified teacher numbers in service in schools from the school workforce census.
	Information is available for November 2011 which shows a pupil-to-teacher ratio of 18.2 for Yorkshire and the Humber region. Information for Brigg and Goole constituency is incomplete, and therefore not available.

Technology: Education

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage a greater focus on (a) information technology, (b) design technology and (c) other technical skills at secondary school level.

Elizabeth Truss: On 7 February 2013 the Government published a consultation on proposals for the reform of the national curriculum. We are proposing that the existing outdated ICT curriculum should be replaced with a new computing curriculum which will be compulsory in secondary schools at key stages 3 and 4. Design and technology will remain a compulsory subject at key stage 3, with new statutory programmes of study. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, all maintained schools will be required to teach the new programmes of study from September 2014. It is for individual schools to decide how much time to spend on each curriculum subject, in the best interests of their pupils.
	In addition, we have introduced new computer science teacher training courses to prepare secondary specialists to teach computer science to GCSE level and we have added computer science to the list of separate science options in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc).
	To encourage a greater focus on technical skills, the Government has established new university technical colleges to provide opportunities for young people to develop technical knowledge and skills, work with employers and use industry standard equipment. The Government has also published proposals for a new Technical Baccalaureate standard which will recognise the achievement of the highest quality of technical training by 16 to 19-year-olds.

Termination of Employment

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many staff have left his Department since May 2010;
	(2)  how many staff in his Department who had reported instances of bullying or intimidation since May 2010 have subsequently left the Department.

Elizabeth Truss: 929 members of staff left the Department between 1 May 2010 and 31 January 2013.
	Three members of staff who reported instances of bullying since May 2010 have subsequently left the Department. We investigated these incidents and the allegations were not upheld.

Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on which occasions since he has held his present office he has used (a) the London Underground and (b) buses in connection with his ministerial duties.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education does not keep a record of journeys taken by Ministers on public transport.

Truancy: Fines

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of truancy fines were levied against (a) mothers and (b) fathers in England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: Penalty notices (fines) for non-school attendance are issued in England by local authorities and schools to parents if their school registered child is regularly absent without the school's permission. The Department collects and publishes data on how many fines are issued by local authorities in each academic year. The information collected is not broken down to identify the gender of parents. The latest data for the academic school year 2011/12 is available on the Department's website at:
	http://tinyurl.com/dxemd4l

Visits Abroad

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what foreign visits by Ministers in his Department have been or are planned to be undertaken from 1 January 2013 to 30 April 2013.

Elizabeth Truss: Details of the Department’s Ministers’ overseas meetings from January to April 2013 will be collated across all Government Departments and published as soon as possible at:
	www.data.gov.uk

Vocational Education: Qualifications

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many vocational qualifications were taken up to age 16 in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

Matthew Hancock: holding answer 18 April 2013
	The Department only holds information on the awards made in these qualifications. We do not hold information on those pupils that take the qualification, but do not .subsequently achieve an award.

Vocational Training

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding his Department has allocated for the delivery of traineeships in the 2013-14 academic year.

Matthew Hancock: In the discussion paper that we published in January, we set out our intention that traineeships for 16 to 19-year-olds would be part of Study Programmes and would therefore be funded on the same basis.
	It is our intention that traineeships will be a demand-led programme. Therefore the number of places funded would reflect the number of employers and education and training providers who choose to offer a place and the number of eligible young people who wish to take one.
	We received an excellent response to our discussion paper with over 450 responses from employers, providers and other organisations. We are continuing to work through the final details of the traineeships programme and will publish further information shortly.

Written Questions

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether the procedure and sign-off process for responding to parliamentary questions in his Department includes review by special advisers.

Elizabeth Truss: Ministers are responsible and accountable for all answers to parliamentary questions. Special advisers may provide advice to Ministers, as outlined in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to answer question (a) 141028, (b) 141029, (c) 141030 and (d) 141034, tabled on 29 January 2013 for ordinary written answer on 31 January 2013.

Elizabeth Truss: The questions were answered as follows:
	PQ141029: 17 April 2013, Official Report, column 474W;
	PQ141030: 17 April 2013, Official Report, columns 474-75W;
	PQ141034: 17 April 2013, Official Report, columns 474-75W;
	PQ141028: 23 April 2013, Official Report, column 874-75W.

Young People: Carers

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to support young carers in education.

Edward Timpson: The Department has worked closely with The Children's Society and Carers Trust over the last two years to share evidence based tools and good practice at 17 regional events to improve the identification and support of young carers. This includes the e-learning module that we have developed for school staff to increase awareness in schools of young carers' issues and the schools resource pack developed by the Children's Society and Carers Trust. I recently announced the award of a new contract worth up to £1.2 million to those organisations to continue this work for a further two years.
	The Department of Health have also recently announced plans to train school nurses to be champions for young carers. They will help raise awareness in schools amongst staff and pupils, and help head teachers and governors decide how best to identify and support young carers at school.

Young People: Local Government

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has any plans to introduce minimum standards for youth engagement with local government, in accord with the recommendation in the UK Youth Parliament manifesto.

Elizabeth Truss: holding answer 22 April 2013
	There are no plans to introduce minimum standards for youth engagement with local government. In June 2012 we issued revised Statutory Guidance on the duty in section 507B of the Education and Inspections Act 1996, that requires local authorities to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, access to sufficient services and activities to improve young people's well-being. The guidance makes clear that local authorities must take steps to ascertain the views of young people and to take them into account in making decisions about services and activities for them, in line with Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Local authorities should establish and maintain structured arrangements for doing so and in order to inform continuous improvement these arrangements should enable young people to inspect and report at least annually on the quality and accessibility of provision. As appropriate they should also be involved actively in service design, delivery and governance. Young people should also receive the support they need to participate, ensuring representation of the full diversity of local young people, and those who may not otherwise have a voice.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Air Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies travelled on (i) domestic and (ii) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year.

Richard Benyon: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Animal Welfare Act 2006

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what consideration he has given to amending the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to increase the maximum sentences for cases of animal fighting; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to review the sentences available for cases of animal abuse; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Richard Benyon: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Bees

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other European countries and in the EU on strategies to protect bee populations.

David Heath: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Charities

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what grants and payments have been made by his Department to registered charities over the last two years; and what criteria he has used in allocating such grants.

Richard Benyon: This information is not held centrally and so cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Computers

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) desktop computers, (b) laptop computers and (c) tablet devices his Department has purchased in the last two years.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA does not generally directly purchase laptop, desktop or tablet computers. IBM United Kingdom Ltd is contracted to provide these, as required, as part of the service they provide to the Department. Under this contract, the number of devices has decreased by 653 over the last year.
	In the last year Core DEFRA purchased one iPad as an exception to this contract for the purpose of a technical assessment.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 comprehensive spending review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

Richard Benyon: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Foot and Mouth Disease

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what reviews the Government has made of its contingency plans in the event of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease;
	(2)  what provisions he has made for the co-ordination of activities at a regional level in the event of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

David Heath: DEFRA's Contingency Plan for Exotic Notifiable Diseases of Animals, including foot and mouth disease, is reviewed regularly, working closely with delivery partners and industry. It was last reviewed and published in December 2012.
	Plans are regularly tested at local and national level. A national level live exercise to be held in June will test our plans on a scenario based on Classical Swine Fever and lessons learned will be reviewed and published.
	On confirmation of disease, clear command and control structures are put in place to direct, coordinate and support the disease control response. Three levels of command will be established, operating at a strategic, tactical or operational level. The regional coordination is provided by the operational level and is detailed on pages 25-31. The Plan is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contingency-plan-for-exotic-notifiable-diseases-of-animals--2

Forest Enterprise England

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff are employed by Forest Enterprise England in Cumbria; and what proportion of those staff are paid at or above the relevant level of the living wage.

David Heath: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the scientific objectives are of the release of GM wheat by Rothamsted Research following the application for release in autumn 2013, reference 11/R8/01.

David Heath: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost is of the additional autumn sown trial of GM wheat at Rothamsted Research, reference 11/R8/01, and how it will be funded.

David Heath: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the GM construct encoding (E) -ß - farnesene synthase in GM wheat covered by the release consent issued by his Department to Rothamsted Research, reference 11/R8/01, in 2011 is subject to patents; in which countries these were granted; and who holds each patent.

David Heath: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the GM constructs encoding farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase in wheat covered by the release consent issued by his Department to Rothamsted Research, reference 11/R8/01 in 2011 is subject to patents; in which countries these were granted; and who holds each patent.

David Heath: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Horse Racing

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to minimise horse fatalities at events including the Grand National.

David Heath: Animal welfare at horse races is the responsibility of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) who work alongside animal welfare organisations, such as the RSPCA. Racehorses, like all domestic and captive animals, are afforded protection under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Under this legislation, it is an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal or for an owner, or keeper, to fail to provide for its welfare needs. Local authorities have powers to investigate allegations of poor welfare. If anyone has any concerns about the welfare of a racehorse then they should report the matter to the BHA, local authority or RSPCA.

Hotels

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies stayed in hotels in (i) the UK and (ii) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

Richard Benyon: The information is not held centrally and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Marine Conservation Zones

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his counterparts in other EU member states regarding the designation of Marine Conservation Zones.

Richard Benyon: I have discussed the designation of Marine Conservation Zones with Commissioner Damanaki and raised the issue with my counterparts and Members of the European Parliament.

Marine Management Organisation

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Freedom of Information response GD/ATI417 will be published on the Marine Management Organisation website.

Richard Benyon: I can confirm that the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has no current plans in place to publish the response to GD/ATI417 on its website. However, while there is no requirement to publish responses to requests for information under either the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIRs), it remains committed to openness and transparency and is in the process of developing additions to its current publication scheme, in which a log of responses to requests for information is being considered.

Meat: Labelling

Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to bring prosecutions against supermarkets operating in the UK relating to selling wrongly labelled meat products to their customers.

David Heath: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he intends to reply to the letter of 5 March 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr B. Tan.

Richard Benyon: I can confirm that the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), responded to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton regarding Mr B Tan's correspondence on veganism, on 22 April 2013.

Official Hospitality

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible claimed reimbursements for working lunches and official entertainment in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was in each such year.

Richard Benyon: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how much was paid to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year;
	(2)  what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year.

Richard Benyon: This response covers Core DEFRA, Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), the Environment Agency (EA), the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), the Joint Nature Conservation Council (JNCC), the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), Natural England (NE) and the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (RBG Kew).
	Non-consolidated performance related pay (non-consolidated PRP)
	The organisations covered by this reply do not pay bonuses but, instead, apply non-consolidated performance related pay. The following table shows the total amount of non-consolidated performance related pay paid to staff in the senior civil service (SCS) and below in each organisation for the financial years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12. Information for the years prior to this can be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Organisation FY 2009-10 FY 2010-11 FY 2011-12 
			 Core DEFRA(1) 2,308,442 1,646,253 1,324,499 
			 AH(2) 515,774 554,139 573,561 
			 CEFAS 838,414 586,069 746,137 
			 FERA 342,720 393,707 431,453 
			 RPA 513,683 610,135 412,603 
			 VLA(2) 198,376 215,549 (3)— 
			 VMD 98,719 98,548 109,704 
			 CCW(4) — — — 
			 EA(5) 1,764,192 299,258 643,722 
			 GLA 68,200 64,478 58,927 
			 JNCC 36,697 34,166 1,460 
			 MMO(6) — 81,172 89,961 
			 NE 906,236 85,459 578,813 
			 RBG Kew(7) 0 20,000 20,000 
			 (1 )Data for core-DEFRA does not include details for the Permanent Secretary. These payments are determined centrally and are published in the Department's resource accounts. (2 )AHVLA was vested on 1 April 2011 following the merger of AH and VLA. Data for former VLA staff for 2011-12 is not available as they were initially paid through their former payroll which has since closed. Therefore, payments made to AH staff in 2011-12 are shown separately. (3 )Information is only available at disproportionate cost. (4 )CCW only pay non-consolidated performance pay to their chief executive, data for which has not been included in this response. Details are published in CCW annual accounts. (5 )The difference between the EA figure for the 2009-10 financial year and that of 2010- 11 is attributable to the fact that no end-year non-consolidated PRP was paid to Environment Agency staff in 2010-11. (6 )The MMO was vested on 1 April 2010. Data are, therefore, only provided for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 financial years. (7 )RBG Kew only pay non-consolidated PRP to senior executives. 
		
	
	The total number of staff in receipt of these payments in each organisation in 2011-12 is as follows. Information for the years prior to this is available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Organisation Number of people in receipt 2011-12 
			 Core DEFRA 1,230 
			 AH 536 
			 CEFAS 530 
			 FERA 609 
			 RPA 534 
			 VLA (1)— 
			 VMD 83 
			 CCW — 
			 EA (1)— 
			 GLA 34 
			 JNCC 81 
			 MMO 115 
			 NE 1,469 
			 RBG Kew 2 
			 (1 )Information is available only at disproportionate cost. 
		
	
	Allowances and other payments
	Allowances are payments made over base salary that relate to recruitment and retention issues or provide recompense for different working arrangements. Other payments are either overtime payments or non-consolidated elements of a pay award for staff on the pay range maximum. The following table shows the total amount paid in allowances and other payments to staff, in addition to salary, in each organisation for the financial years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Organisation FY 2009-10 FY 2010-11 FY 2011-12 
			 Core DEFRA 3,857,215 2,122,009 1,366,722 
			 AH 2,417,032 1,453,617 1,675,144 
			 CEFAS 720,829 716,610 726,755 
			 FERA 470,532 537,672 638,733 
			 RPA 3,685,918 2,064,005 1,423,729 
			 VLA 1,065,225 930,489 (1)— 
			 VMD 131,470 92,414 100,192 
			 CCW 78,308 50,067 45,919 
			 EA (1)— (1)— (1)— 
			 GLA 73,871 134,940 105,484 
			 JNCC 60,073 65,599 71,844 
			 MMO — 253,270 458,761 
			 NE 1,044,513 1,382,596 1,190,756 
			 RBG Kew 453,568 348,755 363,740 
			 (1 )Information can only be provided by incurring disproportionate cost. 
		
	
	Largest 20 payments
	The following tables show the largest 20 payments made in relation to performance related pay by each organisation for the financial years shown.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Financial year Core DEFRA AH CEFAS FERA RPA VLA VMD CCW EA GLA JNCC MMO NE RBG Kew 
			 2009-10 15,000 12,500 12,500 3,166 12,500 8,600 10,000 — 17,285 10,500 1,000 — 15,000 — 
			  15,000 10,000 10,000 3,166 12,500 6,020 9,683 — 12,900 8,463 1,000 — 14,250 — 
			  12,500 10,000 9,000 3,050 9,000 400 9,000 — 10,750 7,447 1,000 — 11,248 — 
			  12,500 10,000 9,000 2,598 9,000 400 2,657 — 10,750 5,090 1,000 — 10,773 — 
			  12,500 9,000 6,460 2,585 6,000 400 2,657 — 10,750 4,752 780 — 10,174 — 
			  12,500 9,000 6,460 2,572 500 400 2,657 — 10,750 4,752 780 — 9,315 — 
		
	
	
		
			  12,500 2,977 6,460 2,559 500 400 2,657 — 10,750 4,752 780 — 9,240 — 
			  12,500 2,977 6,437 2,549 350 400 2,657 — 10,750 4,509 780 — 8,717 — 
			  12,500 2,977 5,434 2,549 331 400 1,652 — 10,750 3,539 780 — 8,672 — 
			  12,000 2,977 5,269 1,961 273 400 1,652 — 10,750 3,477 780 — 8,610 — 
			  11,000 2,657 5,181 1,961 250 400 1,652 — 10,750 3,166 780 — 7,972 — 
			  11,000 2,434 5,088 1,961 250 400 1,608 — 10,750 3,104 780 — 7,837 — 
			  11,000 2,434 5,088 1,955 250 400 1,386 — 10,750 2,173 780 — 7,800 — 
			  11,000 2,434 4,672 1,945 250 400 1,386 — 10,750 1,273 780 — 7,543 — 
			  11,000 2,434 4,442 1,937 250 400 1,386 — 10,750 1,000 780 — 7,398 — 
			  11,000 2,434 4,329 1,909 250 400 1,329 — 10,750 1,000 780 — 7,370 — 
			  11,000 2,396 4,304 1,833 250 400 1,329 — 10,750 1,000 780 — 7,327 — 
			  11,000 2,396 4,213 1,833 250 400 1,329 — 10,750 750 780 — 7,229 — 
			  10,113 2,396 4,213 1,833 250 400 1,329 — 10,750 750 780 — 6,960 — 
			  10,000 2,396 4,213 1,833 250 400 1,329 — 10,750 750 620 — 6,781 — 
		
	
	
		
			 £ 
			 Financial year Core DEFRA AH CEFAS FERA RPA VLA VMD CCW EA GLA JNCC MMO NE RBG Kew 
			 2010-11 12,900 10,750 10,750 2,005 10,750 10,000 10,750 — — 7,500 2,339 7,200 12,900 10,000 
			  10,750 6,020 6,020 1,901 6,020 5,000 6,020 — — 6,977 2,339 2,000 10,750 10,000 
			  10,750 6,020 6,020 1,901 6,020 400 6,020 — — 6,140 1,842 2,000 10,750 — 
			  10,750 6,020 5,384 1,901 774 400 2,843 — — 4,196 1,842 2,000 10,750 — 
			  10,750 3,428 5,384 1,901 500 400 2,843 — — 3,673 1,842 2,000 10,750 — 
			  10,750 3,129 5,324 1,901 500 400 2,843 — — 3,611 1,842 2,000 10,750 — 
			  10,750 3,129 5,184 1,901 500 400 2,360 — — 2,917 1,842 2,000 10,750 — 
			  10,320 3,129 5,106 1,901 500 400 2,212 — — 2,866 1,842 1,850 9,700 — 
			  10,320 2,566 4,295 1,901 500 400 2,110 — — 2,661 1,842 1,850 8,500 — 
			  9,000 2,566 4,165 1,901 500 400 1,740 — — 2,610 1,842 1,850 8,500 — 
			  8,600 2,566 4,095 1,901 500 400 1,740 — — 2,610 1,842 1,850 8,500 — 
			  8,600 2,566 3,947 1,901 400 400 1,714 — — 2,610 1,842 1,550 8,500 — 
			  8,600 2,566 3,531 1,901 400 400 1,470 — — 2,610 1,458 1,500 8,500 — 
			  8,600 2,513 3,395 1,901 350 400 1,470 — — 2,610 1,458 1,500 8,500 — 
			  8,600 2,513 3,319 1,901 300 400 1,470 — — 2,251 1,458 1,500 8,500 — 
			  8,600 2,513 3,284 1,901 300 400 1,422 — — 2,122 1,458 1,500 8,500 — 
			  8,600 2,513 3,220 1,901 300 400 1,422 — — 1,394 1,458 1,500 8,500 — 
			  8,600 2,513 3,023 1,541 300 400 1,422 — — 750 1,458 1,500 8,500 — 
			  8,600 2,513 2,991 1,541 300 400 1,422 — — 750 1,458 1,500 8,500 — 
			  8,600 2,513 2,991 1,430 300 400 1,422 — — 750 1,458 1,452 8,500 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Financial year Core DEFRA AH CEFAS FERA RPA VLA VMD CCW EA GLA JNCC MMO NE RBG Kew 
			 2011-12 15,000 12,500 12,250 6,114 10,000 (1)— 12,438 — 12,500 7,500 2,339 8,500 15,000 10,000 
			  13,000 10,000 8,000 6,114 6,300 (1)— 12,125 — 10,452 6,462 2,339 5,000 12,500 10,000 
			  12,500 10,000 8,000 5,163 2,344 (1)— 10,000 — 10,135 5,461 1,842 2,000 12,500 — 
			  12,500 3,428 6,083 5,000 2,213 (1)— 2,843 — 10,000 3,485 1,842 2,000 12,500 — 
			  12,500 3,129 5,960 4,382 2,161 (1)— 2,843 — 9,600 3,485 1,842 2,000 12,500 — 
			  11,875 3,129 5,892 4,382 2,108 (1)— 2,843 — 9,400 3,485 1,842 2,000 10,000 — 
			  10,500 3,129 5,737 4,381 2,108 (1)— 2,843 — 9,358 3,321 1,842 1,850 10,000 — 
			  10,500 3,129 5,737 4,369 2,108 (1)— 2,843 — 9,240 3,267 1,842 1,850 10,000 — 
			  10,500 3,129 4,881 4,021 2,108 (1)— 2,110 — 9,146 3,139 1,842 1,850 750 — 
			  10,000 2,566 4,754 4,000 2,108 (1)— 1,740 — 9,122 2,686 1,842 1,500 750 — 
			  10,000 2,566 4,283 3,875 2,051 (1)— 1,740 — 8,910 2,640 1,842 1,500 750 — 
			  10,000 2,566 4,067 3,825 1,965 (1)— 1,740 — 8,910 2,413 1,842 1,500 750 — 
		
	
	
		
			  10,000 2,566 3,908 3,640 1,950 (1)— 1,740 — 8,738 2,413 1,458 1,500 750 — 
			  10,000 2,566 3,758 3,566 1,944 (1)— 1,470 — 8,007 2,413 1,458 1,500 750 — 
			  10,000 2,513 3,641 3,433 1,922 (1)— 1,470 — 8,000 1,684 1,458 1,500 750 — 
			  10,000 2,513 3,567 3,324 1,922 (1)— 1,470 — 7,944 1,593 1,458 1,500 750 — 
			  10,000 2,513 3,567 3,299 1,901 (1)— 1,470 — 7,864 1,300 1,458 1,500 750 — 
			  10,000 2,513 3,439 3,299 1,901 (1)— 1,422 — 7,864 1,000 1,458 1,500 750 — 
			  9,750 2,513 3,439 3,299 1,900 (1)— 1,422 — 7,782 1,000 1,458 1,500 750 — 
			  8,000 2,513 3,433 3,299 1,858 (1)— 1,422 — 7,774 1,000 1,458 1,500 750 — 
			 (1) Information can only be provided by incurring disproportionate cost.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria are used in (a) his Department and (b) each public body for which he is responsible to determine which officials receive bonus payments.

Richard Benyon: This response covers Core DEFRA, Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), the Environment Agency (EA), the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), the Joint Nature Conservation Council (JNCC), the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), Natural England (NE) and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew).
	The criteria for determining performance payments in the Department varies slightly for the senior civil service, non-SCS and the core-Department and executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
	Senior civil service (SCS) in core-DEFRA and its executive agencies
	Annual performance payments are made in accordance with the Cabinet Office Senior Civil Service Pay Guidance, which sets the criteria for payments to the top 25% of performers, based on the outcome of a Department-wide performance management moderation process. Performance pay for permanent secretaries is governed by separate criteria set by the Cabinet Office. The Permanent Secretary Remuneration Committee (PSRC) makes recommendations to the Prime Minister on payments.
	Non-SCS in Core DEFRA and its executive agencies
	Annual performance payments for staff below SCS in core-DEFRA and the executive agencies are directly linked to the outcome of the annual performance management process, with payments generally limited to those who receive the highest performance marking.
	In addition to individual performance related pay, CEFAS operates a Corporate Performance Payment Scheme, with payments linked to the achievement of ministerial and specific financial targets. These payments are not awarded to individuals whose performance during the year is considered unsatisfactory.
	In addition to the annual performance payment schemes in operation, core-DEFRA, AHVLA, VMD, FERA, and RPA operate in-year performance payment schemes. The schemes recognise teams or individual employees for one-off excellent achievements relating to work done over a limited time period during the year.
	Non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs)
	For senior staff in the NDPBs, the criteria for awarding performance related payments are expected to reflect the arrangements that are in place for the SCS. The exception to this is in CCW, whose chief executive has a contractual obligation to performance related pay. The amount payable is based on an agreed formula relating to the delivery of specified objectives and is agreed by CCW's Remuneration Committee.
	For staff below SCS equivalent level, CCW and RBG Kew do not award performance related pay.
	For staff in the other NDPBs, the criteria for awarding annual performance payments is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Organisation Criteria 
			 EA EA do not have an annual performance related pay scheme in place for staff below senior executive level. EA have a specific, sales related scheme for staff below senior executive level in the Geomatics National Laboratory Service, where payments are awarded depending on the level of revenue brought into the business. 
			 GLA Payments are made to the top 25% of staff based on a nominations process by line managers, with criteria based on objectives agreed at the start of the year. Decisions on which nominations are successful are taken by GLA's Remuneration Committee. 
			 JNCC Payments are directly linked to the outcome of the annual performance management process with payments limited to staff who receive the top two performance markings. 
			 MMO Payments are directly linked to the outcome of the annual performance management process with payments limited to staff who receive the top performance marking. 
			 NE Payments are directly linked to the outcome of the annual performance management process with payments limited to staff who receive the top two performance markings. 
		
	
	In addition to the annual performance payment schemes in operation, EA, GLA, JNCC and MMO operate in-year performance payment schemes. The schemes recognise teams or individual employees for one-off excellent achievements relating to work done over a limited time period during the year.

Plastic Bags

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 February 2013, Official Report, column 221W, on waste management, if he will introduce a mandatory charge on single use carrier bags in England for inclusion in his Department's forthcoming Waste Prevention Programme and Waste Management Plan for England; if he will make an assessment of (a) the effect of introducing a mandatory charge on single use carrier bags in England against the principles of the waste hierarchy and (b) the Scottish Government's Safeguarding Scotland's Resources Programme, and the accompanying Strategic Environmental Assessment, with particular reference to the effect of introducing a mandatory charge on single use carrier bags in England; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Government has not yet made a decision on a charge on carrier bags. As part of our development of the Waste Prevention Programme for England, we launched a call for evidence in March seeking views and evidence on which materials should be given priority within the programme. The call closes on 29 April. The evidence provided through this process will be used to help determine which actions should be included in the programme which will be published by the end of the year.
	The Waste Management Plan for England will not be the vehicle for new measures, such as a charge on carrier bags.
	Studies have shown that reusing single use carrier bags is the most environmentally-friendly option. All bags have an environmental impact, including those made from cotton or jute, which are heavier and use up more energy to produce and transport. Our advice is therefore to reuse bags as often as possible and then recycle them. This is in line with the waste hierarchy. To help consumers recycle their bags, we have encouraged retailers to put recycling facilities for carrier bags at the front of their stores.
	We are continuing to monitor the results of the charging scheme in Wales; data from the first year of the charge will be available later this year. The scheme in Northern Ireland began this month. The result of the Scottish consultation on a charge has yet to be announced.
	We are considering the results of all these schemes, including the evidence base where it is available, so that we can make a fully informed decision. We remain determined to tackle the blight caused by discarded carrier bags.

Plastic Bags: Wales

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the first-year results of the plastic bag levy in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: We are continuing to monitor the results of the charging scheme in Wales; data from the first year of the charge will be available later this year. The scheme in Northern Ireland began this month. The outcome of the Scottish consultation on a charge has yet to be announced.
	We are considering the results of all these schemes, including the evidence base where it is available, so that we can make a fully informed decision. We remain determined to tackle the blight caused by discarded carrier bags.

Pollution Control

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the responsibility of local authorities for tackling persistent high levels of pollution.

Richard Benyon: Local authorities have a responsibility to control pollution in their areas, including persistent high levels of pollution. This includes using the powers available to them under relevant legislation in a proportionate manner to investigate and resolve cases and to continue to work as necessary to reduce high levels of pollution. Local authorities must also work in pursuance of air quality objectives set out in the Air Quality (England) Regulations and have a duty to investigate complaints of noise and statutory nuisance.

Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the Government Buying Standards; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Under the fourth of the Greening Government Commitments (GGC), the Government has pledged to purchase more sustainable and efficient products. This includes, by 2015, embedding Government Buying Standards in departmental and centralised procurement contracts within the context of the Government's overarching priorities of value for money and streamlined procurement processes.
	Progress against this Commitment is published annually as part of wider GGC monitoring and evaluation. The report for 2011-12 is available at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/greening-government-commitments
	and the report for 2012-13 is expected to be published in autumn 2013.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish details of all (a) his Department's and (b) its non-departmental public bodies' existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Richard Benyon: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA revised its core procurement instructions, which apply to all procurements, in January to reflect the Public Services (Social Value) Act.
	Procurement staff have been given the Cabinet Office guidance on the Act, received a training presentation on the Act from our legal advisors and sustainability training which also included how to implement the Act.

Redundancy Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible received payments under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last five years; and at what total cost in each such year.

Richard Benyon: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Rural Payments Agency

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff are employed by the Rural Payments Agency in Cumbria; and what proportion of those staff are paid at or above the relevant level of the living wage.

David Heath: The Rural Payments Agency employs 728 people based in the Cumbria region and they are all paid above the Living Wage Foundation's living wage of £7.45 per hour.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what work his Department is doing as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme.

Richard Benyon: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Trapping

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to make an announcement on the findings of his Department's report entitled Determining the extent of use and humaneness of snares in England and Wales.

Richard Benyon: We are considering the findings of the report carefully and I will publish the Government's view as soon as possible.

Travel and Subsistence Payments

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2013, Official Report, column 620W, on travel and subsistence payments, how many senior officials in his Department's arm's length bodies had terms of employment that specified that their main place of employment was their home address and that they were entitled to claim travel and subsistence expenses for visiting the offices of the arm's length body in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

Richard Benyon: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what process his Department claims (a) its mine clearing and (b) its police training activities in Afghanistan against the UK's official development assistance target.

Andrew Robathan: The Official Development Assistance (ODA) criteria are set by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Expenditure on police training in routine policing functions, and the removal of landmines where it is for civilian purposes, are reportable as ODA. The Ministry of Defence reports to the OECD, through the Department for International Development, on activity that is eligible to be counted towards Her Majesty Government's ODA target.

Afghanistan and Iraq

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many minors have been deployed to (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq since the start of British military operations in those countries.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Air Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies travelled on (i) domestic and (ii) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Ammunition: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many munitions of each type have been placed on the seabed in Scottish waters since the signing of the OSPAR Convention; and where each group of munitions has been placed.

Andrew Robathan: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of armed forces personnel including those in training in each (a) corps and (b) regiment in each year since 2010-11 were aged under 18 years old.

Mark Francois: The number of armed forces personnel, including those in training, in each service by corps and regiment each year since 2010-11 to 1 March 2013 are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			 Table 1: UK Regulars as at 1 April 2011 
			  Under 18 All Percentage 
			 Naval Service:    
			 RN Engineer Fleet Air Arm 10 3,540 0.3 
			 RN Engineer General Service 10 5,180 0.3 
			 RN Engineer Submarine Service 10 2,280 0.3 
			 RN Logistics General Service 10 2,810 0.3 
			 RN Logistics Submarine Service (1)— 440 (1)— 
			 RN Royal Marines Band Service (1)— 400 (1)— 
			 RN Royal Marines General Service 60 6,680 0.9 
			 RN Warfare Fleet Air Arm (1)— 1,070 (1)— 
			 RN Warfare General Service 20 5,690 0.3 
			 RN Warfare Submarine Service (1)— 900 (1)— 
			 Army:    
			 Adjutant General’s Corps 20 5,810 0.3 
			 Army Air Corps 10 2,190 0.5 
			 Corps of Army Music (1)— 810 (1)— 
			 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 200 11,130 1.8 
			 Corps of Royal Engineers 270 10,890 2.5 
			 Household Cavalry 20 950 1.7 
			 Infantry 990 26,930 3.7 
			 Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps (1)— 960 (1)— 
			 Royal Armoured Corps 140 5,250 2.6 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps (1)— 270 (1)— 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 30 2,640 1.2 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps (1)— 370 (1)— 
			 Royal Corps of Signals 160 8,440 1.9 
			 Royal Regiment of Artillery 220 8,120 2.7 
			 The Royal Logistic Corps 300 15,870 1.9 
			 Royal Air Force:
			 Air Traffic Control (1)— 1,280 (1)— 
			 Aircraft Engineering 10 10,630 0.1 
			 General Engineering (1)— 1,730 (1)— 
			 Information and Communications Technology (1)— 2,990 (1)— 
			 Logistics—18 (Mover/Supplier) (1)— 2,700 (1)— 
			 Logistics—19 (Chef/Caterer) (1)— 1,150 (1)— 
			 Personnel (1)— 1,430 (1)— 
			 Security 10 3,990 0.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: UK Regulars as at 1 April 2012 
			  Under 18 All Percentage 
			 Naval Service:
			 RN Engineer Fleet Air Arm (1)— 3240 (1)— 
			 RN Engineer General Service (1)— 4650 (1)— 
			 RN Engineer Submarine Service (1)— 2280 (1)— 
			 RN Logistics General Service (1)— 2590 (1)— 
			 RN Logistics Submarine Service (1)— 420 (1)— 
			 RN Royal Marines Band Service (1)— 420 (1)— 
			 RN Royal Marines General Service 20 6400 0.4 
			  40 35540 0.1 
			 Army:
			 Adjutant General’s Corps 40 5900 0.6 
			 Army Air Corps 20 2130 0.9 
			 Corps of Army Music (1)— 780 (1)— 
			 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 230 10770 2.1 
			 Corps of Royal Engineers 310 10530 3.0 
			 Household Cavalry 20 970 1.5 
			 Infantry 1020 26870 3.8 
			 Royal Armoured Corps 160 5110 3.0 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 20 2740 0.8 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps (1)— 380 (1)— 
			 Royal Corps of Signals 130 8260 1.6 
			 Royal Regiment of Artillery 260 8050 3.2 
			 The Royal Logistic Corps 330 15150 2.2 
			 Royal Air Force:
			 Aircraft Engineering 20 9810 0.2 
			 General Engineering (1)— 1660 (1)— 
			 Information and Communications Technology (1)— 2850 (1)— 
			 Logistics–18 (Mover/Supplier) (1)— 2640 (1)— 
			 Logistics–19 (Chef/Caterer) (1)— 1060 (1)— 
			 Safety and Surface (1)— 610 (1)— 
			 Security 10 3840 0.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: UK Regulars as at March 2013 
			  Under 18 All Percentage 
			 Naval Service:
			 RN Engineer Fleet Air Arm (1)— 3,230 (1)— 
			 RN Engineer General Service (1)— 4,330 (1)— 
			 RN Engineer Submarine Service 10 2,240 0.4 
			 RN Logistics General Service (1)— 2,380 (1)— 
			 RN Medical General Service (1)— 660 (1)— 
			 RN Royal Marines Band Service 10 410 1.4 
		
	
	
		
			 RN Royal Marines General Service 30 6,260 0.4 
			 RN Warfare General Service (1)— 4,960 (1)— 
			 Army:
			 Adjutant General’s Corps 20 5,650 0.4 
			 Army Air Corps 20 2,020 0.9 
			 Corps of Army Music (1)— 780 (1)— 
			 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 150 10,020 1.5 
			 Corps of Royal Engineers 160 10,030 1.6 
			 Household Cavalry 20 960 2.4 
			 Infantry 690 25,820 2.7 
			 Royal Armoured Corps 110 4,900 2.2 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 10 2,870 0.5 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps (1)— 410 (1)— 
			 Royal Corps of Signals 90 7,900 1.2 
			 Royal Regiment of Artillery 170 7,590 2.2 
			 The Royal Logistic Corps 200 14,060 1.4 
			 Royal Air Force:
			 Aerospace Systems Operating (1)— 630 (1)— 
			 Air Traffic Control (1)— 1,200 (1)— 
			 Aircraft Engineering 20 8,900 0.2 
			 Information and Communications Technology (1)— 2,760 (1)— 
			 Logistics–18 (Mover/Supplier) 10 2,510 0.3 
			 Logistics–19 (Chef/Caterer) (1)— 940 (1)— 
			 Logistics–6 (Mechanical Transport) (1)— 940 (1)— 
			 Security 10 3,670 0.2 
			 (1 )Denotes zero or rounded to zero. Note: Where rounding has been used, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Armed Forces: Absence Without Leave

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) trained strength and (b) in training armed forces personnel went absent without leave in each year since 2011; and how many such people were under the age of 18.

Mark Francois: The information readily available on armed forces personnel who have been absent without leave (AWOL) in the last three years, broken down by service is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Year/service Number of trained strength AWOL Number of trainees AWOL Total of under 18s 
			 Naval service    
			 2011 70 0 n/k 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 51 0 n/k 
			 2013 to 19 April 2013 5 0 n/k 
			     
			 Army    
			 2011 1,457 n/k 
			 2012 1,057 n/k 
			 2013 to 19 April 2013 251 n/k 
			     
			 Royal Air Force    
			 2011 7 0 0 
			 2012 11 0 0 
			 2013 to 19 April 2013 2 0 0 
		
	
	The number of incidences of reported AWOL may include the same individual more than once.

Armed Forces: Complaints

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the number of service complaints being completed by internal systems within 24 weeks; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: From January 2013, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) brought in new bi-monthly reporting arrangements for updating the Service Complaints Commissioner on progress against the new timeline of 24 weeks.
	From the end of June onwards, these reports will enable the MOD to build up a full picture of our performance against the 24 week timeline for those complaints submitted since January.

Armed Forces: Convictions

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many notifications of convictions of armed forces personnel have been received by the Central Criminal Records and Intelligence Officer and the Naval Provost Marshall in each year since 2005; if he will publish the number of convictions by offence; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The 'Central Criminal Records and Intelligence Officer' has been interpreted as he Criminal Justice Office Manager within the Service Police Crime Bureau (SPCB) who acts as the point of contact for notification by Home Office police forces.
	The following table shows the number of notifications made to the SPCB since 2005:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2005 2,072 
			 2006 (1)— 
			 2007 4,089 
			 2008 4,548 
			 2009 4,863 
			 2010 5,588 
			 2011 4,484 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 2,958 
			 2013 (to end of March) 541 
			 (1) Data missing. 
		
	
	Figures represent notifications of all kinds, regardless of the outcome: i.e. they include arrests where no further action was taken and outcomes including informal and community resolutions, fixed penalty notices, warnings, reprimands, cautions. A breakdown to identify the number of convictions and the classification of each could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	For the naval service, notifications between 2005 and 2010 were made to individual units. No central record is held and information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 2010, notifications have been handled by the SPCB and are included in the table above.

Armed Forces: Crime

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2012, Official Report, column 1074W, on armed forces: sexual offences, if he will place copies of the annual analyses of crime and incidents produced by each service police force in each year since 2005 in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: I will not be placing in the Library copies of the annual analyses of crime and incidents produced by each Service police force. These analyses enable the Service police to make assessments and develop strategies and contain sensitive information. Much of the content of the analyses could be based upon intelligence gathered by police and other policing agencies. The disclosure of the analyses could therefore prejudice crime prevention, detection or reduction, the arrest or prosecution of offenders, and the effective and efficient conduct of the Service police.

Armed Forces: Death

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who has the responsibility of determining whether to carry out an internal review or a service inquiry in the case of service personnel killed in action.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Death

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the criteria are for determining whether to carry out an internal review rather than a service inquiry recommended by a coroner in the case of service personnel killed in action.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Discharges

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will provide service personnel who make complaints relating to unfair discharge with access to independent scrutiny of their complaints; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The provision of an independent scrutineer for service personnel who make complaints relating to unfair discharge was the subject of a recommendation in the Service Complaints Commissioner's Annual Report 2012. The Ministry of Defence is considering the report carefully and will be responding shortly.

Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel under the age of 18 at the time of an alleged offence have been court-martialled in each year since 2011; and (a) what charges were brought and (b) what action was taken in each such case.

Mark Francois: Over the period requested, the Ministry of Defence holds the following information on a total of 10 individuals in the Army who were under the age of 18 at the time of an alleged offence, these are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Year of Court Martial Charges Outcome 
			 2011 Aggravated vehicle taking contrary to section 12A of the Theft Act 1968 30 days Service Supervision and Punishment Order (SSPO) 
			 2011 ABH contrary to section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 60 days detention 
			 2011 2 x charges of ABH contrary to section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 Found Not Guilty on both charges 
			 2011 Wounding or inflicting GBH contrary to section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 6 months detention suspended for 12 months 
			 2011 Absence without leave contrary to section 9(1) of the Armed Forces Act 2006 6 months detention suspended for 12 months 
			 2011 2 x charges of Absence without leave contrary to section 9(1) of the Armed Forces Act 2006 Total of 150 days detention 
			    
			 2012 2 x charges of Absence without leave contrary to section 38 of the Army Act 1955 and 1 x charge of Absence without leave contrary to section 9(1) of the Armed Forces Act 2006 Dismissed from Her Majesty's Service 
			 2012 3 x charges of Absence without leave contrary to section 9(1) of the Armed Forces Act 2006 30 days Service Supervision and Punishment Order (SSPO) 
			 2012 3 x charges of ABH contrary to section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and 1 x charge of Battery contrary to section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. Total of 8 months detention and to pay a total of £1000 in compensation. 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 ABH contrary to section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 Service Community Order with a Supervision Requirement for 2 years and Unpaid Work Requirement of 200 hours to be completed within 12 months 
		
	
	No data is available yet for the Army in 2013. There are no records of courts martial of Naval or RAF personnel who were under the age of 18 at the time of an offence in the period requested.
	The data provided within this answer has been derived from records in the Joint Personnel Administration system and cannot be considered as exhaustive.

Armed Forces: Domestic Violence

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of domestic violence have been reported to (a) service police and (b) other police forces since 2005; how many such claims were made by (i) family members of serving personnel and (ii) serving personnel; how many such claimants were based (A) in the UK and (B) overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Domestic Violence

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Luton North of 12 June 2012, Official Report, column 446W, on Armed Forces: domestic violence, if the domestic abuse protocol has been rolled out to all garrison areas; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Domestic Violence

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the JSP 913 Tri-Service policy on domestic abuse and sexual violence; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel were found to have illegal drugs in their system in each of the last five years; and how many of those personnel were (a) charged and (b) discharged.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has a policy of compulsory drug testing (CDT) which seeks to reinforce the message that drug use is unacceptable for service personnel. Providing a positive result, indicating the presence of illegal drugs, will almost certainly result in an administrative discharge(1). Positive rates in the armed forces over the last few years average around 0.42%, compared with 7% in civilian workplace drug testing programmes in the UK. These statistics demonstrate that drug misuse is significantly less prevalent among service personnel than in corresponding civilian demographic groups.
	(1) Service personnel are not ‘charged’ in a disciplinary sense. Rather, they are administratively discharged under the terms of their employment. Therefore, the data presented here relates to the numbers of compulsory drugs tests conducted and positive results, rather than ‘charges’.
	The following tables provide information on the numbers of compulsory drug tests, positive results and consequent administrative discharges in each of the last five years.
	
		
			 Royal Navy CDT Results and Discharges—1 January 2007 to 30 September 2012 
			  Number of compulsory drugs tests Number of positive results(1) Number of administrative discharges following a CDT positive result 
			 2007 10,421 45 43 
			 2008 12,802 58 55 
			 2009 11,585 34 30 
			 2010 12,352 44 42 
			 2011 13,134 32 32 
			 2012 (as at 30 September) 10,423 16 16 
			 (1) Data is held on the total number of CDT (positive) results rather than the number of service personnel who test positive. Given the random nature of the CDT process, duplication is possible where an individual is tested at more than one location before completion of the discharge process. This factor is particularly evident in the Army, where personnel move location on a regular basis. 
		
	
	
		
			 Army CDT Results and Discharges—1 January 2007 to 30 September 2012 
			  Number of compulsory drugs tests Number of positive results Number of administrative discharges following a CDT positive result 
			 2007 75,842 678 610 
			 2008 89,839 651 580 
			 2009 102,949 451 508 
			 2010 88,354 493 459 
			 2011 97,527 479 (1,2)379 
			 2012 (as at 30 September) 84,429 385 (3)— 
			 (1) As at 30 November 2011. (2) In December 2011, the Army temporarily changed the way it collated management information concerned with drug-related administrative discharges. During the period 1 December 2011 to 31 December 2012 it is not possible to distinguish which personnel, who have been discharged for drug-related reasons, have had action taken as a result of a Compulsory Drugs Test. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. (3) Not held. 
		
	
	
		
			 RAF CDT Results and Discharges—1 January 2007 to 30 September 2012 
			  Number of compulsory drugs tests Number of positive results Number of administrative discharges following a CDT positive result 
			 2007 12,119 15 15 
			 2008 12,303 27 27 
			 2009 12,399 12 12 
		
	
	
		
			 2010 10,364 (1)28 25 
			 2011 12,001 (2)41 35 
			 2012 (as at 30 September) 10,889 12 7 
			 (1) Two personnel tested positive twice. (2) Three service personnel tested positive twice.

Armed Forces: Hearing Impairment

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Independent Medical Examination Group to produce the findings of its examination of provision for hearing loss within the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

Mark Francois: It is expected that the Independent Medical Expert Group Report for 2012-13 will be released in May 2013.

Armed Forces: Hearing Impairment

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate his Department has made of the cost in terms of manpower and financial compensation as a result of noise-induced hearing loss in the next 10 years.

Mark Francois: None.

Armed Forces: Hearing Impairment

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy, (c) Royal Air Force and (d) Royal Marines were medically downgraded as a result of noise-induced hearing loss in each of the last five years.

Mark Francois: Defence Statistics cannot provide the numbers of service personnel who have been downgraded as a direct result of Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL).
	The following numbers of downgraded service personnel have a Read Code of NIHL entered into their medical records, however, this may not be the reason for their downgraded status.
	A snapshot in January 2013, the latest date for which data is available, shows:
	550 Army personnel were medically downgraded and also had a code for NIHL.
	10 Royal Navy personnel were medically downgraded and also had a code for NIHL.
	10 Royal Air Force personnel were medically downgraded and also had a code for NIHL.
	30 Royal Marines personnel were medically downgraded and also had a code for NIHL.

Armed Forces: Offences Against Children

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of child abuse were made (a) by and (b) against (i) service personnel and (ii) civilian staff based in the UK in each year since 2005 by service; how many of these (A) were referred for prosecution and (B) resulted in a conviction; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Offences Against Children

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of child abuse were made (a) by and (b) against (i) service personnel and (ii) civilian staff based in Germany in each year since 2005 by service; how many of these (A) were referred for prosecution and (B) resulted in a conviction; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average cost of recruitment was per armed forces recruit; and what the total cost to the public purse was of recruitment for all new personnel into the (a) Royal Air Force, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Army in each year since 2010-11.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what proportion of recruits who enlisted (a) below the age of 18 and (b) aged 18 and over extended their service contract beyond the minimum service period in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of recruits who enlisted (a) below the age of 18 and (b) aged 18 and over had been in service for 10 years or more in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what proportion of recruits who enlisted (a) below the age of 18 and (b) aged 18 and over left the armed forces before completing (i) phase two training and (ii) their minimum initial service period in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: The information available on extensions of service contract, on those personnel who serve 10 years or more, and on those who leave the armed forces before completion of Phase 2 training and their minimum initial service period, is not held in the format requested, nor can it be matched against age or date of birth data without incurring disproportionate cost.
	However, the Army have identified that in financial year 2012-13 some 12% of under 18s left before completion of their Phase 2 training against the total number who enlist under the age of 18. In comparison some 14% of those who enlisted over the age of 18 left before completing their training.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of teenage recruits to the armed forces prematurely ending their services contracts.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Redundancy

Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what period of time after having returned from Afghanistan service personnel will be exempt from redundancy under tranche 3.

Mark Francois: holding answer 11 February 2013
	There is no exclusion from redundancy under Tranche 3 based on a set period of time on return from Afghanistan. However, any individual who is recovering from operations in Afghanistan on 18 June 2013 will be exempt. The recovery period will vary for individual soldiers, based primarily on the length of their deployment in Afghanistan.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to implement the recommendations of its 2006 report on Quantitative and Qualitative Research into Sexual Harassment in the Armed Forces; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The information will take time to collate. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.
	Substantive answer from Mark Francois to Madeleine Moon:
	Thank you for meeting with me and Brigadier Warren, the Provost Marshal (Army) (PM(A)), and his officers on 8 January 2013. We were grateful for the opportunity to discuss with you the importance the Royal Military Police (RMP) rightly place on ensuring that all allegations of sexual violence are properly investigated. I hope that we were able to reassure you on the professionalism which marks their work in this area. At the conclusion of the meeting, I promised to write summing up our discussion but there have been further developments since this time and I have sought to include them in this letter.
	It might be helpful if I start by reiterating the framework within which the RMP operate. Within the Service Justice System, the RMP, along with their Royal Navy and Royal Air Force counterparts, are collectively known as the Service Police. The Service Police investigate the full range of criminal offences, not least because Armed Forces personnel are often deployed to hostile and demanding operational environments where the UK civilian police may not have the jurisdiction to operate.
	While the RMP do not charge offenders and are not constables, their investigative role, which is to carry out investigations in order to establish the facts, is very similar to the civilian police. In carrying out their investigations they act entirely independently from the Chain of Command and the Ministry of Defence. Many of the investigatory powers of the RMP are set out in the Armed Forces Act 2006, and its subordinate legislation, which came into force on 31 October 2009. These provisions broadly mirror the powers defined under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, and RMP investigative doctrine is also drawn from the core investigative doctrine used by the civilian police. As with the civilian police, much has been done to improve RMP training and technical oversight of how they conduct investigations into allegations of rape and sexual assault and support victims since Baroness Stern's Review into this issue was published in 2010.
	As we explained during the meeting, all RMP recruits are trained to deal with alleged sexual offences as “first responders”. This starts with their foundation training, learning the basic skills required to deal with an incident until a more experienced investigator arrives to take control of an investigation. Serious incidents are dealt with by the RMP Special Investigation Branch (SIB), which is akin to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) within the Home Office Police Forces (HOPF). RMP (SIB) personnel undergo a rigorous selection and training process, which includes attachments, study periods and residential courses at the Defence School of Policing and Guarding.
	The basic and intermediate detective training not only teaches investigators how to identify offences and the points to prove in law but also covers areas such as psychology, forensic medical examinations and achieving best evidence. This is taught by external speakers who are carefully selected for their expertise and currency. RMP (SIB) personnel receive Continual Professional Development training at HOPF centres of excellence. Furthermore, selected Officers and Warrant Officers undertake Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) courses with a Home Department Police Force or formerly, the National Policing Improvement Agency. RMP (SIB) personnel also attend essential specialist training such as the Families Liaison Officer (FLO) Course, Crime Scene Management courses and the Sexual Offence Investigative Techniques (SOIT) course, which allows them to train alongside their civilian counterparts and to be mentored by civilian officers who have considerable experience in this field. If an RMP investigation team does not have access to appropriate trained personnel during the course of an investigation, they will seek advice and support from another RMP unit or a civilian force with the required level of expertise, as any other police force might.
	As well as having similar training, doctrine and procedures to the civilian police, in the UK the RMP also use civilian facilities, such as Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC), ensuring victims have access to the full range of expert victim support that is available through these facilities. In Germany and elsewhere overseas, RMP investigators are able to draw on the expertise of the Joint Response Team (JRT) if required. The JRT is a specialist RMP capability for investigating offences involving children and vulnerable witnesses and it works hand-in-hand with Social Services and other organisations to ensure a multi-agency level of support afforded to victims and their families.
	From the outset of any RMP investigation into a sexual offence, an appointed investigator will maintain contact with the victim during the course of the investigation and any subsequent judicial process that follows. The investigator will keep the victim informed of progress and guide them to seek specialist help, such as victim support, should the victim require professional assistance. This support is available to the victim at any stage in the investigation process and afterwards, as the RMP will ensure that the victim has appropriate contact details should they wish to seek assistance at any point in the future.
	In addition, if the victim gives consent for their details to be disclosed to their Chain of Command or informs the Chain of Command themselves that they have been sexually assaulted, for example, then they would be afforded additional support in accordance with Joint Service Publication 839 - the Code of Practice on services to be provided by the Armed Forces to victims of crime. They would also have access to all the other routine welfare professionals found within an Army unit, such as the Padre, the Medical Officer and Unit Welfare Officers, all of whom can provide direct support to victims, but also have the ability to refer them on to other experts should this be appropriate.
	As we also discussed, our ability to provide you with accurate data on the overall number of sexual offences reported by Armed Forces personnel is limited by jurisdictional arrangements. For England and Wales, Home Office Circular 028/2008 sets out the protocol between the Ministry of Defence Police, the Service Police and the Home Office Police Forces, and defines investigative jurisdiction. In short, primacy rests with the civilian police, although the RMP may take the lead in an investigation if both the suspect and the victim in a particular case are serving members of the Armed Forces. However, the more serious the offence, the greater the likelihood is that jurisdiction will be retained by the civilian force (if in UK). The civilian police will always retain jurisdiction in the event of a case involving a civilian suspect. Conversely, in Germany and other overseas locations, although a Status of Forces Agreement or some such understanding may allow a local police force to retain jurisdiction in certain circumstances, the RMP or another Service Police force will usually carry out the investigation.
	In practice, these arrangements mean that we cannot be sure how many allegations are made by (or against) serving personnel. There is no obligation on a military victim to inform their chain of command if they have been subjected to a sexual assault unless they decide that they wish to do so themselves. In this respect, the Armed Forces are like any other employer. Similarly, by virtue of the Notifiable Occupation Scheme, the military police may be informed about civilian police investigations involving military suspects, however, it is reliant on the suspect informing the investigators that they are serving. The scheme does not require victims details to be passed on. There is, therefore, no definitive central record of all cases involving Armed Forces personnel.
	While we are able to provide some data in relation to investigations carried out by the military police, the primary role of the RMP database, REDCAP, is to record investigative information, and it was not designed to produce statistical data per se. As a result, we can only provide you with accurate data by making manual checks on investigative records. Work is ongoing to produce more accurate statistical data in relation to the number of sexual assaults reported to the military police but as at the time of writing we are unable to provide precise details of the offences for the period you have requested. However, we are seeking to make improvements in this area as outlined later in this letter.
	I recognise that your concern is not restricted to the conduct of investigations by the RMP. This brings me on to another area where I undertook to write to you in response to your question of 6 December 2012, (Official Report, column 896W) concerning the implementation of the recommendations of the 2006 report on Quantitative and Qualitative Research into Sexual Harassment in the Armed Forces.
	Firstly, I can assure you that the Ministry of Defence is committed to tackling all types of harassment, including sexual harassment. The Ministry of Defence is determined to create an inclusive working environment that delivers opportunity for all, recognises and values difference, and eradicates bullying, harassment and discrimination. We have developed policies to ensure that individuals are treated fairly, and with respect. This commitment runs throughout the organisation. I also know that the new Permanent Secretary, Jon Thompson, is very engaged in this area and committed to ensuring Equality and Diversity throughout the Ministry of Defence, as are all of the Service Chiefs.
	This commitment is being matched by real and tangible progress, and subsequent to the 2006 actions agreed between the Equal Opportunities Commission and MOD, the following changes have been implemented:
	Raising awareness of the unacceptability of sexual harassment and how to raise concerns, including through discussions across the Services with personnel at every level. The Services have focused on leadership to ensure that Service personnel are aware of the Department's policy on this issue, and to challenge inappropriate behaviour;
	A comprehensive review of equality and diversity training. The Services ensure that personnel have access to information (on policies and complaints processes) on websites, newsletters and unit notice boards. The Services have also worked on improving equality and diversity training for all ranks;
	The introduction of a comprehensive complaints procedure and subsequent ongoing revision of this system;
	A review of our procedures for making and dealing with complaints of harassment to make them more accessible and robust;
	We have established a mechanism to better identify and share lessons;
	Incorporating individuals' attitudes to equality and diversity into appraisal reporting to make them personally accountable;
	Issuing guidance to encourage the consistent use of administrative action in harassment cases;
	The training of Equality and Diversity Advisers on each unit, the provision of professional trained mediators, and Harassment Investigation Officers;
	Implementing a tracking system for those whose behaviours have fallen below the level expected.
	While there remains much work to do, I am happy to report that as a result of these changes concrete progress has been made. Taking the Army as an example, the most recent Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey shows an encouraging fall in those who believed they had been the subject of bullying, harassment or discrimination (from 12% in 2010 to 8% in 2012). The Army was also shortlisted for an award for the 2012 Race for Opportunity (for widening the talent pool in recruitment), and was also placed in the Top 10 Public Sector organisations for Business in the Communities Gender Diversity Survey (2012).
	Nevertheless, we are not complacent, and the Department continues to work with organisations such as Stonewall, Race for Opportunity, and Opportunity Now to ensure benchmarking and good practice.
	It is now of course some time since our meeting of 8 January. Although I still wanted to place on record the matters we discussed on that occasion, there have been a number of developments since then—not least the Westminster Hall debate which you secured on 31 January. That debate gave us an opportunity to explore these issues in some detail, and I did of course put on record my commitment to produce the most accurate information possible relating to sexual offences involving members of the Armed Forces. Subsequent to the debate, I met with the Provost Marshals of the three services in February to explore practical ways of doing this, and set further work in hand, in order to achieve this.
	As a result of this work, we are now in the process of establishing, a new Crime Statistics and Analysis Cell (or CSAC). The CSAC is being established within the existing Service Police Crime Bureau located at Southwick Park, Hampshire. It consists of a CSAC Manager (in post with effect from 25 March 2013), supported by existing personnel from within the Royal Military Police Force Intelligence Branch. I anticipate that the CSAC will be fully up and running prior to the Summer recess (and I am minded to table a WMS, to confirm when it has achieved full operating capability).
	The aim of the CSAC is to improve the quality of and speed of access to, information relating to Service Police Investigations. This will be achieved by creating a new standalone database that is based on information extracted from the REDCAP system. Initially, this will coverall sexual offences investigated by the Service Police since implementation of the Armed Forces Act 2006, and certain other offences (e.g. firearms, drugs, theft, fraud and those involving violence). Over the coming-months, the data will be updated with information provided by Service Police Units and other organisations that work within the Service Justice System. The initial focus is on sexual offences but the aim is to complete all this work (incorporating the information from other units and organisations and the additional offences as mentioned above) by April 2014. In addition to this we are conducting some parallel work to improve the REDCAP Service Police database, with a view to auditing the existing data on the system and enhancing its data search capability as well.
	As you have been kind enough to acknowledge in the past, I do take this whole issue very seriously and as I said on 31 January, I will continue to update you on progress, now including on the CSAC as well. Inevitably, some of this work may do more to improve the position for the future, than it can do to repair weaknesses in our information about the past. However, my officials are working with the currently available information in order to respond to your outstanding PQs. I hope to do so shortly.
	Finally, in accordance with my commitment given in the debate of 31 January, I am placing a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of sexual assault were made by (a) female and (b) male members of the armed forces in each year since 2005; in how many cases (i) charges were directed for trial, (ii) trials were held and (iii) trials resulted in a conviction; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The following table provides details of the number of allegations recorded by the service police or the Ministry of Defence police (MDP), of sexual assaults made by female and male members of the armed forces each year from 1 November 2009, the date of the implementation of the Armed Forces Act 2006, to 31 December 2012.
	
		
			  Female Male Total 
			 From 1 November 2009 7 5 12 
			 2010 42 12 54 
			 2011 32 8 40 
			 2012 31 9 40 
			 Total 112 34 146 
		
	
	The above 146 allegations make up 139 cases as there may be more than one allegation in a case. Of the 135 cases dealt with by the service police:
	14 cases were not investigated because the complaint was not pursued;
	15 cases were investigated but did not result in a person being referred to a prosecuting authority under the Armed Forces Act 2006;
	34 cases resulted in persons being referred to a prosecuting authority under the Armed Forces Act 2006 but did not result in court martial or other disciplinary proceedings;
	24 cases which resulted in a court martial or other disciplinary proceedings resulted in a conviction;
	10 cases resulted in a court martial or other disciplinary proceedings which did not result in a conviction;
	15 cases resulted in a court martial or other disciplinary proceedings which resulted in a conviction for a lesser offence;
	23 cases are ongoing.
	Service police data is based on investigations where they have the jurisdiction and investigative lead. Investigations could involve more than one victim or suspect. Information on case outcomes for the service police has been taken from service police records or a record of proceedings provided by the unit of a suspect.
	Four cases of sexual assault allegations were investigated by the MDP. In two cases the victims withdrew their complaint, one was handed over to the civil police and one was a reluctant witness and therefore no further action was taken by the MDP.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2012, Official Report, column 4W, on armed forces: sexual offences, how many of the (a) rape and (b) sexual assault allegations were reported by (i) service personnel and (ii) civilian staff; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has now made manual checks on its records and the following is a breakdown of all allegations of rape and sexual assault recorded by the service police between 1 November 2009, the date of the implementation of the Armed Forces Act 2006 and 31 December 2012, where the alleged victim is a member of the armed forces and the service police have jurisdiction and the investigative lead. None of the allegations were reported by civilian staff.
	
		
			 Allegations reported by service personnel 
			  Rape Sexual assault 
			 2009 2 11 
			 2010 8 44 
			 2011 14 39 
			 2012 13 35 
			 Total 37 129 
		
	
	The figures differ from those quoted in the answer of 25 June 2012, Official Report, column 3W, because the earlier response listed the number of cases, which may be fewer than the number of allegations. The earlier figures also included cases investigated by civilian police, contrary to the wording of the answer, for which no breakdown is available.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2012, Official Report, column 195W, on armed forces: sexual offences, how many of the (a) rape allegations, (b) cases where charges are directed for trial and (c) cases not directed for trial were reported by (i) service personnel and (ii) civilian staff; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 June 2012, Official Report, column 195W.
	Service and civilian personnel are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			   Type of personnel making allegation  
			  Outcome Service personnel Civilian personnel Combined total 
			 2010 Referrals 6 15 21 
			  Not directed for trial/Non Instituted 4 8 12 
			  Directed for trial 2 7 9 
			      
			 2011 Referrals 4 14 18 
			  Not directed for trial/Non Instituted 2 9 11 
			  Directed for trial 2 5 7 
			      
			 2012 Referrals 11 11 22 
			  Not directed for trial/Non Instituted 4 4 8 
			  Directed for trial (1)7 (2)7 14 
			 (1) Five ongoing. (2) Four ongoing. 
		
	
	Referrals made in one year are not necessarily directed or go to trial in the same year.
	The term “Civilian personnel” may refer to a civil servant, locally employed civilian subject to military law, or a family member of the armed forces personnel or Ministry of Defence civilian.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2012, Official Report, column 752W, on armed forces: sexual offences, how many sexual assaults were alleged to have been committed against minors; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The number of allegations of sexual assault made against minors, which were referred to the Service Prosecuting Authority, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of referrals relating to minors 
			 2010 2 
			 2011 2 
			 2012 4 
		
	
	In this context the term "minor" relates to a male or female under age 16.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many of the allegations of child sexual offences made by (a) service personnel and (b) civilian staff based in Iraq in each year since 2005 (i) were referred for prosecution and (ii) resulted in a conviction; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many of the allegations of child sexual offences made against (a) service personnel and (b) civilian staff based in Iraq in each year since 2005 (i) were referred for prosecution and (ii) resulted in a conviction; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many allegations of child sexual offences made by (a) service personnel based in Afghanistan and (b) civilian staff based in Afghanistan in each year since 2005 (i) were referred for prosecution and (ii) resulted in a conviction; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many allegations of child sexual offences made against (a) service personnel based in Afghanistan and (b) civilian staff based in Afghanistan in each year since 2005 (i) were referred for prosecution and (ii) resulted in a conviction; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no record of any allegations of child sexual offences(1) in Iraq in the period between the implementation of the Armed Forces Act 2006 on 1 November 2009 and 31 December 2012.
	The MOD holds information on one case in Afghanistan in this period. The case involves an allegation made by one member of the armed forces against another. This case is subject to ongoing reporting restrictions and is expected to be tried at court martial later this year.
	(1) This includes offences as defined in sections 4-15 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and other Sexual Offences where the alleged victim is under 18.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints of (a) rape and (b) sexual assault were made by armed forces personnel aged below the age of 18 years at the time of the incident in each of the last 30 years; what the outcome was of each case; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The data provided is based on information recorded by the Service police and Ministry of Defence police for the period between 1 November 2009, the date of the implementation of the Armed Forces Act 2006, and 31 December 2012.
	In this period there were two complaints of rape from armed forces personnel who were below the age of 18 at the time of the incident, as recorded by the Ministry of Defence police. Both occurred in 2009. No complaints in this category were recorded by Service police. In one case a not guilty verdict was returned, and the other case was not pursued after the complaint was withdrawn.
	There were 13 complaints of sexual assault, including two complaints of sexual assault by penetration, from armed forces personnel aged below 18 years at the time of the incident, as recorded by the Service police or Ministry of Defence police. The details of the case outcomes are shown in the following table and including the year in which the alleged offence was reported.
	
		
			 Outcome 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Cases not investigated because the complaint was not pursued. 0 1 0 0 
			 Cases investigated but did not result in a person being referred to a prosecuting authority under the Armed Forces Act 2006. 0 0 0 1 
			 Cases resulting in persons being referred to a prosecuting authority under the Armed Forces Act 2006 but did not result in courts martial or other disciplinary proceedings. 1 0 0 1 
			 Cases which resulted in courts martial or other disciplinary proceedings which resulted in a conviction. 0 0 1 0 
			 Cases which resulted in courts martial or other disciplinary proceedings which resulted in a conviction for a lesser offence. 1 3 0 0 
			 Cases which resulted in courts martial or other disciplinary proceedings which did not result in a conviction. 0 0 0 0 
			 Cases ongoing. 0 0 0 4 
			 Total 2 4 1 6

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) assault by penetration against members of the armed forces have been reported by civilians to the service police in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 January 2013, Official Report, column 963W, on Armed Forces: sexual offences, how many of the claims referred to in the answer were for (a) sexual abuse, (b) rape and (c) sexual assault; what the gender was of each claimant; what the outcome was of each claim; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: The Ministry of Defence's claims handlers do not record sexual abuse, sexual assault and rape separately so it is not possible to break down the claims into those categories as requested. The gender of the claimant and the outcome of each claim is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of claims Gender of claimant Outcome 
			 2002 1 Female Settled 
			     
			 2003 5 Male Settled 
			   Male Repudiated 
			   Male Repudiated 
			   Male Repudiated 
			   Male Repudiated 
			     
			 2004 3 Male Settled 
			   Male Settled 
			   Male Repudiated 
			     
			 2005 2 Male Settled 
			   Male Repudiated 
			     
			 2006 2 Male Settled 
			   Male Repudiated 
			     
			 2007 1 Male Repudiated 
			     
			 2008 1 Male Repudiated 
			     
			 2009 6 Male Settled 
			   Male Ongoing 
			   Female Settled 
			   Male Settled 
			   Male Repudiated 
			   Male Repudiated 
			     
			 2010 1 Male Ongoing 
			     
			 2011 3 Male Repudiated 
			   Male Repudiated 
			   Male Settled 
			     
			 2012 1 Female Repudiated

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many allegations relating to the possession of indecent images have been made against (a) armed forces personnel and (b) civilian staff based in Germany in each year since 2005; how many of these have (i) been referred for prosecution and (ii) resulted in a conviction; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1126W, on armed forces: sexual offences, if he will provide a breakdown by year for the offences of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) sexual assault by penetration of the number of (i) cases of such offences not investigated, (ii) cases investigated but not resulting in a person being referred to a prosecuting authority under the Armed Forces Act 2006, (iii) cases resulting in persons being referred to a prosecuting authority under the Armed Forces Act 2006 but which did not result in court martial or other disciplinary proceedings, (iv) cases resulting in a conviction, (v) cases which resulted in a court martial or other disciplinary proceedings which resulted in a conviction for a lesser offence, (vi) cases resulting in a court martial or other disciplinary proceedings which did not result in a conviction and (vii) cases ongoing; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answers of 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1128W, and 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1129W, on armed forces: sexual offences, 
	(1)  whether any allegations made by service personnel relate to children placed in schools funded by the Continuity of Education Allowance; in which year any such allegations were made; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which department is responsible for investigations in lieu of local authority responsibilities under child protection legislation; what training is made available to staff in order to conduct investigations into child sexual offences; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Sexual Offences

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answers of 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1128W, and 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1129W, on armed forces: sexual offences, how many allegations (a) by and (b) against service personnel were referred to local authorities for investigation under child protection legislation in which the local authorities were notified; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Training

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what savings have been achieved by his Department in the running cost of (a) the Defence Academy at Shrivenham and (b) Royal Military Academy Sandhurst since 2000.

Andrew Robathan: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Training

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the (a) exact facilities and (b) capacity of each such facility at (i) RAF Cranwell, (b) Britannia Royal Naval College, (c) RMA Sandhurst and (d) the Defence Academy, Shrivenham.

Mark Francois: The sites mentioned contain a wide variety of academic, domestic, sporting and medical rooms, buildings and equipment.
	General information about the type of facilities available can be found on the relevant websites:
	http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Shore-Establishments/BRNC-Dartmouth
	http://www.army.mod.uk/training_education/training/17057.aspx
	http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcollegecranwell/
	http://www.da.mod.uk/

Armed Forces: Training

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many individuals underwent training at (a) Britannia Royal Naval College, (b) RMA Sandhurst, (c) the Defence Academy, Shivenham and (d) RAF Cranwell in each year since 2000; and how many are intended to undergo training there in each year until 2020.

Andrew Robathan: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Training

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department plans to spend under each cost heading on facilities and training at (a) Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, (b) Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, (c) the Defence Academy, Shrivenham and (d) RAF Cranwell in each year until 2020.

Andrew Robathan: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Training

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much under each cost heading his Department has spent on facilities and training at (a) Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, (b) Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, (c) the Defence Academy, Shrivenham and (d) RAF Cranwell in each year since 2000.

Andrew Robathan: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces: Training

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are currently undergoing training at (a) RAF Cranwell, (b) Britannia Royal College, Dartmouth, (c) RMA Sandhurst and (d) the Defence Academy at Shrivenham.

Andrew Robathan: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1130W, on armoured fighting vehicles, if he will list the full supply chain of the ASCOD SV programme; and whether each item of that supply chain is being sourced from (a) within the UK and (b) outside the UK.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence's contractual relationship is with General Dynamics UK Ltd (GD UK), the prime contractor for the Demonstration Phase of the Scout Specialist Vehicle programme. Sub-contractor arrangements to deliver this programme are a matter for the company.

Army: Length of Service

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the average length of service is for an infantry soldier who enlists (a) aged 18 or above and (b) below the age of 18;
	(2)  what the average length of service is for a soldier who enlists (a) aged 18 or above and (b) below the age of 18 in each (i) regiment and (ii) corps in the Army.

Mark Francois: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Mean length of service in years 
			 Corps and Regiment Under 18 Over 18 
			 Grenadier Guards 8.0 4.4 
			 Coldstream Guards 7.4 4.4 
			 Scots Guards 7.5 4.8 
			 Irish Guards 8.8 5.1 
			 Welsh Guards 7.6 4.2 
			 The Royal Regiment of Scotland 8.8 5.9 
			 The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 7.1 4.4 
			 The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 7.1 4.9 
			 The Royal Anglian Regiment 7.8 4.4 
			 The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 7.1 4.9 
			 The Royal Anglian Regiment 7.8 4.4 
			 The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment 6.8 4.6 
			 The Yorkshire Regiment 7.2 4.3 
			 The Mercian Regiment 6.9 4.1 
			 The Royal Welsh 7.7 4.3 
			 The Rifles 7.9 4.5 
			 The Royal Irish Regiment 9.3 5.3 
			 The Parachute Regiment 8.3 4.9 
			 Unspecified 2.1 6.4 
			 The Royal Tank Regiment 10.5 9.9 
			 9(th)/12(th) Lancers 10.8 10.8 
			 Unspecified 0.4 0.2 
			 The Blues and Royals 12.7 6.3 
			 The Kings Royal Hussars 10.2 9.5 
			 The Life Guards 13.6 6.6 
			 The Light Dragoons 12.8 6.8 
			 The Queen's Dragoon Guards 8.6 9.2 
			 The Queen's Royal Hussars 8.8 8.9 
			 The Queen's Royal Lancers 9.7 10.1 
			 The Royal Dragoon Guards 9.1 7.8 
			 The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 10.5 9.4 
			 The Royal Artillery 9.5 7.1 
			 The Royal Engineers 10.1 6.1 
			 The Royal Signals 11.9 7.3 
			 The Army Air Corps 12.0 8.8 
			 The Royal Logistic Corps 10.0 7.4 
		
	
	
		
			 The Royal Army Medical Corps 9.6 8.1 
			 The Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 10.9 10.4 
			 The Adjutant General's Corps 16.3 10.8 
			 The Royal Army Veterinary Corps 13.1 7.5 
			 Small Arms School Corps 23.7 21.6 
			 The Royal Army Dental Corps 13.2 10.6 
			 Intelligence Corps 20.9 11.4 
			 The Royal Army Physical Training Corps 21.6 20.1 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps 13.1 10.4 
			 Corps of Army Music 20.7 10.7 
			 Senior Soldier Continuity Post 34.5 30.6 
			 Unknown 1.8 2.7 
			 Note: The figures are for trained and untrained Regular Army only and therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Territorial Army and all known problems with the entry date information extracted from the Joint Personnel Administration system which is supposed to reflect their 'current entry date' but if personnel have transferred to the Army from another service, served under an alternative assignment type (e.g. reserve forces), are re-entrants or have transferred from other ranks to officers, their entry date may correspond to any of these events. The resulting length of service may reflect their current period of service, include previous service, or it may be the time that has elapsed since they first joined the armed forces, irrespective of any break in service. The average (mean) length of service on outflow has been calculated using outflow information of trained and untrained soldiers for financial years 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12. Mean length of service in years is a decimal figure. For example, 4.5 years length of service represents four years and six months rather than four years and five months.

Army: Qualifications

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of commissioned soldiers attained nationally recognised educational qualifications after joining the trained strength; in what subject areas such qualifications were gained; and how many and what proportion of those achieving qualifications were minors when they enlisted in the Army in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mark Francois: The Army provides internally run courses which are required to ensure suitably qualified personnel at all ranks. Some of these courses enable a solider to achieve a nationally recognised qualification.
	Approximately 95% of soldiers enrol on a trade related apprenticeship during phase two training and continue these qualifications into their chosen Regiments. At any one time there are approximately 15,000 soldiers undertaking an apprenticeship, many of which last more than 24 months depending on the level Approximately 90% of all soldiers undertaking these qualifications are successful which is 18% higher than the national average.
	The number and proportion of soldiers attaining these qualifications against the Army's fully trained strength of 79,034, and the skill areas which they fall within, for the period October 2012 to March 2013 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Qualification Numbers attained Proportion (percentage) 
			 L2 Apprenticeship 2,182 2.8 
			 L3 Apprenticeship 1,069 1.4 
			 LI Literacy Functional Skill 183 0.2 
			 LI Numeracy Functional Skill 1,203 1.5 
			 L2 Literacy Functional Skill 274 0.4 
			 L2 Numeracy Functional Skill 1,374 1.7 
			 LI Literacy Basic Skill 101 0.1 
			 LI Numeracy Basic Skill 94 0.1 
			 L2 Literacy Basic Skill 429 0.5 
			 L2 Numeracy Basic Skill 395 0.5 
			 Total 7,304 9.2 
		
	
	The information on how many were minors when they enlisted is not held, however, there were 1,037 of the above soldiers who joined the Army through the junior entry route.

Army: Recruitment

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of recruits who enlisted as minors in (a) the armed forces and (b) the Army have completed a nationally recognised apprenticeship qualification (i) during Phase One training, (ii) during Phase Two training and (iii) within six years of enlistment; and in what subject areas.

Mark Francois: Initial military training is divided into phases. Phase one is broad militarization training and Phase two consists of specialist and trade related training. Infantry complete a combined Phase one and two course at the Infantry Training Centre. No one can join the trained strength of the armed forces unless they have completed both phases. Apprenticeship schemes in the armed forces are completed predominantly during Phase two training but many require elements to be completed in the workplace once an individual has joined the trained strength.
	All recruits who enlist as minors and do not hold full level three qualifications are enrolled on an apprenticeship scheme unless their trade training attracts higher level qualifications. The time taken to complete the apprenticeship varies according to the programme being followed but completion rates are high. Total apprenticeship completions by sector skill area for the last academic year are given below but data is not held on the age at enlistment of all these personnel. There are two levels of apprenticeship, intermediate, which is equivalent to GCSEs at grades A to C, or advanced which is the equivalent to A-level.
	Apprenticeship completions, at intermediate or advanced level, by sector skills areas: 1 August 2011-31 July 2012 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Sector skills area Intermediate apprenticeships Advanced apprenticeships 
			  Royal Navy Army Royal Air Force Total Royal Navy Army Royal Air Force Total 
			 Agriculture (includes animal care) — 193 — 193 — 3 — 3 
			 Business Administration and Law 36 — 35 71 — 62 — 62 
			 Construction — 36 — 36 — — — — 
			 Engineering (including ICT) 1031 2041 125 3197 284 1076 641 2001 
			 Health, Public Services and Social Care 1042 743 188 1973 55 1 — 56 
			 Hospitality (including catering and food services) — — 39 39 — — — — 
			 Management and Professional — — — — — — 14 14 
			 Retailing and Customer Services 73 1494 — 1567 — 540 — 540 
			 Transportation (including warehousing and storage) — — 377 377 — — — — 
			 Totals 2182 4507 764 7453 339 1682 655 2676

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Philip Hammond: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Baroness Thatcher

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the costs to his Department were for the rehearsals and preparations for the funeral of the late Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, by category of expenditure;
	(2)  what the costs were of deploying armed forces personnel to oversee security operations for the funeral of the late Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, by category of expenditure.

Mark Francois: The Government is committed to publishing the cost to public funds of Baroness Thatcher's funeral. The costs are currently being collated and will be published in due course by the Cabinet Office.

Baroness Thatcher

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel were deployed to oversee security operations for the funeral of the late Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, by regiment or unit.

Mark Francois: We do not comment on what, if any, support is provided by the Ministry of Defence to the security arrangements for events of this nature. Security arrangements for the funeral of Baroness Thatcher were primarily the responsibility of the metropolitan police.

Chile

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of his Department's support offered after the 2010 earthquake in Chile was marked against the UK's Overseas Development Assistance target.

Andrew Robathan: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Climate Assessments

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many climate assessments in relation to equality and diversity have been conducted by each of the three services since 2010; if he will place a copy of each such assessment in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Community Covenant Grant Scheme

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which local authorities have signed the community covenant.

Andrew Robathan: As at 25 April 2013, a total of 290 local authorities have signed the Community Covenant; The Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), will write to you with more details and will place a copy in the Library of the House.

Computers

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) desktop computers, (b) laptop computers and (c) tablet devices his Department has purchased in the last two years.

Philip Dunne: Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) is the principle information communication technology (ICT) system used throughout the Ministry of Defence and provides the vast majority of defence users with their integrated ICT network needs. The following table shows the number of DII devices purchased since 2008 as part of the 10 year DII contract let in 2005:
	
		
			  DII desktop computers DII laptop devices DII tablet devices 
			 April 2011 to April 2013 53,070 5,140 0 
			 April 2008 to March 2011 103,130 8,760 0 
		
	
	There are other standalone user access devices and local networks for which information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Conflict Pool

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of his Department's contribution to the Conflict Pool was claimed against the UK's Official Development Aid target in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) makes no financial contribution to the Conflict Pool. The MOD does, however, have access to Conflict Pool funds. The latest available Official Development Assistance figures are for 2011. In 2011, the MOD reported that approximately £2 million was spent on Defence-led Conflict Pool activities which meet the definition of Official Development Assistance (ODA). Details of 2012 expenditure will be published in Statistics on International Development in the autumn.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

Philip Hammond: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Daniel Nightingale

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost has been to his Department of legal proceedings in respect of Sergeant Danny Nightingale until the end of March 2013; what the anticipated costs of current proceedings against Sergeant Nightingale are estimated to be; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Defence

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral statement of 18 July 2011, Official Report, column 644, on defence transformation, what assessment his Department made of the likely effects of its proposed changes on local communities; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the results of this assessment.

Andrew Robathan: I am withholding the information as it relates to the formulation of Government policy.

Defence Support Group

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Defence Support Group sites have been subject to contamination surveys over the last five years; how many such sites have been found to contain asbestos; what estimates have been made of the costs of decommissioning such sites; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: As part of the Ministry of Defence's ongoing commitment to undertaking land quality assessments, 13 Defence Support Group Sites have been surveyed. These along with details of any asbestos found are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Name of site Details of asbestos found 
			 DSG Bicester No fibres found 
			 DSG Bovington No fibres found 
			 DSG Catterick Fibres found at two locations 
			 DSG Colchester No fibres found 
			 DSG Donnington No fibres found 
			 DSG Lulworth No fibres found 
			 DSG Sealand No fibres found 
			 DSG Sennybridge No fibres found 
			 DSG Stafford Fragment and fibres identified at one location 
			 DSG Stirling No fibres found 
			 DSG Warminster Fibre found at one location 
			 Longmoor MPV Fibre found at one location 
			 Catterick MPV No fibres found 
		
	
	No estimates have yet been made of the cost of decommissioning these sites, however they are all considered to be suitable for their current and ongoing use.
	On those sites where asbestos containing materials or fibres were identified, the risk to site users is low and there is no effect on day to day operations.

Defence: Procurement

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what conclusion the Ministry of Defence Police's inquiry has reached about how commercially sensitive information from the Ministry of Defence and Department for Transport project team came into the possession of a member of the Soteria consortium during the bidding process for the SAR-H competition in 2010; whether the Ministry of Defence Police consulted the Crown Prosecution Service on that matter; and whether any disciplinary action has been taken.

Philip Dunne: holding answer 23 April 2013
	After a full and wide-ranging investigation the Ministry of Defence police concluded that there was insufficient evidence to warrant further police action. Therefore no submission to the Crown Prosecution Service was required. To date no disciplinary action has been taken within the Department.

Defence: Procurement

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to support the development of social enterprise within the defence supply chain.

Philip Dunne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

European Fighter Aircraft

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the average annual running cost of a squadron of Typhoon jets.

Andrew Robathan: The Air Command average running cost attributable to a front line Typhoon Squadron for financial year 2011-12 was some £19 million. This figure excludes associated infrastructure costs and contracts relating to availability and support which are integral to the running of a squadron and availability of aircraft. Support contracts are let on a whole fleet basis to achieve efficiencies of scale. For example, the Typhoon Availability Service contract, which is a partnering arrangement with BAE Systems to maintain and support the Typhoon fleet, costs some £105 million in FY 2011-12 and the Partnered Support Operation Phase contract with Rolls Royce, which supports the Typhoon engines, costs some £68 million in FY 2011-12.

Germany

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial reimbursement he has agreed with the German Government for breaking the contract which retained British armed forces stationed in Germany until 2030.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 17 April 2013
	There is no contract with the German Government. Therefore no contract is being broken and no financial settlement is required.
	The requirement for resolution of any issues relating to the estate vacated by the British forces in Germany (BFG) is detailed in the Supplementary Agreement to the NATO Status of Forces Agreement and the Department is committed to adhering to this in consultation with the German authorities. Negotiations are well under way with the German authorities for the final, one-time settlement of all financial claims arising from the release of accommodation, the treatment of property procured from funds made available to the UK by Germany in the 40s and 50s, and the residual value of sterling-funded investments in the estate.
	Previous settlements were conducted on either an annual or, more latterly, an ad hoc basis and have hitherto always amounted in a net payment to the UK.

Hotels

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies stayed in hotels in (i) the UK and (ii) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Information Officers

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many press officers there are at each defence base (a) in the UK and (b) overseas.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 15 April 2013
	The information will take time to collate. I will write to the right hon. Member as soon as it is available.

Insolvency

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which firms went into liquidation whilst contracted by his Department in each of the last three years; and how much his Department had to write off as a result of such liquidations in each of the last three years. [R]

Philip Dunne: For the last five years, Defence Business Services records confirm that the following 20 firms went into liquidation while contracted by the Department and this resulted in write-offs.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Financial year Entity Write off amount Total 
			 2008-09 Pioneer Designs Technical Services Ltd 800.00  
			  Gateway IT Services Limited 12,057.42  
			  Rail Freight Ltd 3,195.69  
			  Cork International 30.00  
			  Integrated Photo Optics Limited 1,000.00  
			  Radix Micro Devices PLC 37.00  
			  Fragonset Railways Limited 55,120.92 72,241.03 
			     
			 2009-10 De Baer PLC 1,582.47  
			  Darlington Crystal Limited 49.95  
			  Lancashire Embroidery and Insignia Ltd 19.60  
			  Wright Hygiene Services Ltd 459.60  
			  Elonex Public Limited Company (ELX) 1,602.14  
			  DDHE Services Limited 199.40  
			  PPI Learning Services Ltd 530.00  
			  European Business Jets PLC 16,569.66 21,012.82 
			     
			 2010-11 TRL Compliance Services Limited 250.00  
		
	
	
		
			  Swiss Eagle Limited 405.86  
			  Trade Sport Limited 702.95  
			  Paige Personnel LLP 241.57  
			  Argyll Bagpipes and Kilts Limited 26,950.45 28,550.83 
			     
			 2011-12 Airtime Aviation Limited 324.11  
			  Bennetts of Sheffield Limited 137.62  
			  Craven Publishing Limited 4,420.09  
			  Propstar Limited 340.88  
			  Simdan Branding Limited 654.90  
			  West Midlands International Airport Limited 67.01  
			  Virgin Vie at Home Limited 61.60  
			  Club 328 Limited 6,562.59  
			  SRS (Scotland) Limited 17,800.00 30,368.80 
			     
			 2012-13 Portsmouth City Football Club 933.42  
			  Comtel Air Luftverkehrs GmbH 704.49  
			  Popco Entertainment (UK) Limited 11,107.58  
			  Sterling Helicopters Limited 51.81  
			  Bennetts transport (Ravenswood) Limited 2,918.68  
			  Ambeo Plc 561.24 16,277.32

Libya

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the collection of small and large weapons systems from the general population in Libya; what steps he is taking to that end; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Murrison: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Military Aid

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost was of his Department's operations that were claimable against the UK's overseas development assistance commitment in the last five years.

Philip Hammond: The Ministry of Defence has contributed to a range of humanitarian, stabilisation and conflict prevention operations during the last five years, such as providing assistance following the Haiti earthquake in 2010.
	The costs of these contributions were initially paid in full by the MOD. Additional costs to MOD such as fuel, not including costs that MOD has already been resourced for such as salaries, were routinely recovered from the lead Department (in the above example, this would have been the Department for International Development). The lead Department also reports on ODA eligible activity, rather than MOD.
	MOD and DFID are investigating in the round the contribution, cost and funding mechanisms for Defence capabilities which support HMG upstream conflict prevention, development and humanitarian objectives.

Military Aid

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department's financial systems record any spending on Overseas Development Assistance.

Andrew Robathan: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Military Alliances

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the cost to his Department was of military naval collaboration projects with the US in each of the five years prior to 2011;
	(2)  what the cost to his Department was of military naval collaboration projects with non-EU countries other than the US in each of the five years prior to 2011;
	(3)  what the cost to his Department was of military naval collaboration projects in the EU in each of the five years prior to 2011.

Philip Dunne: Ministry of Defence expenditure on military naval collaboration projects for each of the five years prior to 2011 is shown in the following table. The expenditure covers post initial gate expenditure only and excludes weapons for naval platforms and naval aviation projects.
	
		
			 Naval collaboration projects 
			  Expenditure per financial year (£ million) 
			  2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 EU and Non-EU 1.765 2.755 1.492 2.372 1.310 2.308 
			 US — — — 40.927 118.110 18.889 
		
	
	The one project that involves collaboration within EU also involves collaboration with non-EU countries.

Military Corrective Training Centre Colchester

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual cost to the public purse has been of the Military Corrective Training Centre in each of the last five years.

Andrew Robathan: It is not possible to provide the total annual cost to the public purse, as the costs for things such as cleaning, catering, property management and utilities are not managed from a single budget. Those costs which are attributable solely to the Military Corrective Training Centre could not be accurately identified therefore and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

MOD Ashchurch

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to withdraw military personnel from MoD Ashchurch; and if he will make a statement.

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the staff employed by his Department at Ashchurch will be considered for redeployment following the closure notice; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: holding answer 15 April 2013
	I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave on 16 April 2013, Official Report, column 285W.
	It is too early at this time to provide further details of any withdrawal of staff, civilian or military, for the Ashchurch site.
	When decisions are taken over the future of Ashchurch we will follow standard Ministry of Defence personnel practice for staff relocation or reposting.

Navy: Decommissioning

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a list of all the elements of maritime capability which have been decommissioned since 2010.

Philip Dunne: I have interpreted decommissioned to mean withdrawn from service in which case the following ships have been decommissioned, since 2010: the helicopter carriers HMS Ark Royal and HMS Invincible (having been in extended readiness since 2005); the Type 22 frigates HMS Cornwall, HMS Chatham, HMS Campbell and HMS Cumberland; the Type 42 destroyers HMS Gloucester, HMS Liverpool, HMS Manchester, HMS Nottingham and HMS York; the minehunter HMS Walney; the survey vessel HMS Roebuck; the landing ship RFA Largs Bay; the fleet replenishment ship RFA Fort George; and the support tanker RFA Bayleaf.
	It would not be accurate to say HMS Sceptre and HMS Turbulent have been decommissioned, as the term has a specific meaning relating to nuclear submarines, but both vessels have been withdrawn from service.
	In some cases, for example for the Type 42 destroyers, this is because they have been replaced by more modern ships—the Type 45 destroyers. In others, they reflect the requirements for Future Force 2020 as set out in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Nuclear Weapons

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role would be played by the (a) Supreme Allied Commander Europe and (b) Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic in the decision-making process to deploy any UK nuclear missiles.

Andrew Robathan: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Official Hospitality

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible claimed reimbursements for working lunches and official entertainment in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was in each such year.

Mark Francois: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Expenditure on hospitality and entertainment is published in the Ministry of Defence's annual report and accounts.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was paid to officials in (a) his Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year.

Andrew Robathan: It continues to be a fundamental principle of Government policy that reward in the public sector should be linked to performance. The Ministry of Defence (MOD), in line with other Government Departments, rewards performance through the use of non-consolidated payments which reflect outputs, results and performance. These payments are colloquially known as 'bonuses', although this is a misleading description because the performance-related element of pay is part of the Departmental pay bill rather than being an additional cost. In addition, the MOD operates a special bonus scheme (SBS) to reward civilian staff below the senior civil service (SCS) for exceptional performance in a specific task or for the achievement of professional qualifications which benefit the MOD and the individual. Both types of payments are non-pensionable and are a cost effective way of rewarding performance since they do not count towards pension costs, and so reduce the overall cost of employing civil servants.
	Since 2010-11, the Government has restricted performance related payments for the SCS to the top 25% of performers (from 65% in previous years), saving the taxpayer around £15 million. They are only paid to reward excellence, for example to recognise and incentivise those responsible for delivering high quality public services and savings to the taxpayer. Pay decisions for non-senior staff are delegated to individual departments, enabling them to tailor reward packages that meet their own work force and business needs. Payments made since 1 April 2011 are detailed in Departmental transparency data which is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-consolidated-performance-awards--2
	Details of how much has been paid in non-consolidated awards in financial years 2008-09 to 2012-13 are reproduced in the following tables.
	Table 1: Details how much was paid to permanent members of the SCS in non-consolidated awards.
	
		
			 Table 1—SCS permanent staff 
			 Performance year 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Financial year (FY) 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Value of awards paid (£) 1,501,700 1,594,500 995,500 505,500 362,000 
			 Number of awards paid 187 195 169 62 58 
		
	
	Table 2 details how much was paid to senior staff on fixed term appointments in non-consolidated awards.
	
		
			 Table 2—SCS Fixed Term Appointees 
			 Performance year 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 FY 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Value of awards paid (£) 333,915 838,393 557,293 616,916 (1)320,026 
			 Number of awards paid 16 27 23 21 13 
			 (1) There are still two awards outstanding that have not yet been paid. 
		
	
	Table 3 shows the monetary values of the largest non-consolidated payments to the combined SCS population of permanent staff and fixed term appointees.
	
		
			 Table 3—Top 20 highest non-consolidated awards for combined SCS population 
			  £ 
			 FY 2008-09 88,296 
			  61,250 
			  50,000 
			  48,000 
			  37,675 
			  31,703 
			  30,780 
			  30,000 
			  30,000 
			  30,000 
			  27,600 
			  24,000 
			  23,085 
			  22,085 
			  22,000 
			  21,546 
			  20,480 
			  19,000 
			  17,163 
			  17,091 
			   
			 FY 2009-10 84,563 
			  75,000 
			  72,540 
			  55,350 
			  50,000 
			  50,000 
			  48,720 
			  48,000 
		
	
	
		
			  31,470 
			  30,750 
			  30,000 
			  30,000 
			  25,765 
			  24,101 
			  22,888 
			  21,337 
			  21,033 
			  16,200 
			  15,000 
			  15,000 
			   
			 FY 2010-11 73,080 
			  49,937 
			  49,900 
			  48,720 
			  35,113 
			  31,668 
			  26,715 
			  25,755 
			  22,888 
			  22,153 
			  17,000 
			  16,100 
			  15,750 
			  15,605 
			  15,000 
			  15,000 
			  13,800 
			  12,500 
			  12,500 
			  12,500 
			   
			 FY 2011-12 85,831 
			  69,459 
			  49,950 
			  49,500 
			  48,720 
			  33,833 
			  25,578 
			  20,554 
			  19,492 
			  19,184 
			  17,637 
			  15,415 
			  12,500 
			  12,180 
			  11,250 
			  10,000 
			  9,000 
			  9,000 
		
	
	
		
			  9,000 
			  9,000 
			   
			 FY 2012-13 60,000 
			  48,720 
			  48,720 
			  36,541 
			  35,729 
			  27,087 
			  14,559 
			  13,015 
			  10,842 
		
	
	
		
			  8,000 
			  8,000 
			  7,813 
			  7,000 
			  7,000 
			  7,000 
			  7,000 
			  7,000 
			  7,000 
			  7,000 
			  7,000 
		
	
	Table 4 details how much was paid to staff below the senior civil service in non-consolidated awards.
	
		
			 Table 4—Staff below the SCS 
			 Performance year 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 FY 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13(1) 
			 Value of non consolidated awards paid (£) 47,516,913 44,231,916 43,521,423 42,025,950 28,059,302 
			 Number of awards paid 71,940 66,585 65,504 64,944 51,829 
			 (1) Figures for financial year 2012-13 do not include special bonus scheme awards made in March 2013. 
		
	
	Table 4 excludes information on staff in MOD Trading Funds as they have separate pay delegations.
	With the exception of the Royal Air Force Museum and the National Museum of the Royal Navy, figures for the Department's non-departmental public bodies are included in the figures above.
	Non Consolidated Performance Awards—The Royal Air Force Museum:
	Table 5 details the total value of payments made to staff by way of non-consolidated performance and special bonus scheme (SBS) awards by financial year.
	
		
			 Table 5—RAF Museum 
			 Financial year 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Value of non-consolidated awards (£) 102,379 69,300 49,600 70,024 74,919 
			 Number staff receiving non-consolidated awards 184 186 171 163 166 
			 Payment range non-consolidated (£) 67-5,610 100-5,610 100-400 100-550 100-525 
			 Value of SBS (£) 2,750 4,050 6,050 7,350 — 
			 Number staff receiving SBS 5 11 8 17 — 
			 Payment range SBS (£) 250-1,000 250-1,000 250-3,000 250-1,000 — 
		
	
	Non Consolidated Performance Awards—The National Museum of the Royal Navy:
	The National Museum of the Royal Navy is no longer a non-departmental public body as it has gained charitable status. However, details are included for financial years 2008-09 to 2012-13. Table 6 details the total value of payments made to staff by way of non consolidated performance awards. The National Museum of the Royal Navy has no special bonus scheme.
	
		
			 Table 6—The National Museum of the Royal Navy 
			 Financial year 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Value of non-consolidated awards (£) 0 8,500 8,620 8,827.50 10,000 
			 Number staff receiving non-consolidated awards 0 1 1 1 2

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criteria are used in (a) his Department and (b) each public body for which he is responsible to determine which officials receive bonus payments.

Mark Francois: Table 1 sets out the criteria to qualify for non consolidated performance awards for 2012-13 for staff in the Ministry of Defence.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			  Criteria 
			 Senior Civil Service (SCS) 2012-13 Performance Pay—No more than 25% of staff will receive non-consolidated pay awards. Awards will be made to staff receiving a Performance Group 1 marking following moderation by the MOD SCS Pay Committee. 
			 MOD below SCS 2012-13 Performance Pay—No more than 25% of staff will receive non-consolidated performance pay awards. The number and level of awards is subject to consultation with trades unions. Awards will be made only to staff receiving a Box 5 (Outstanding) performance marking. In the event that more than 25% of staff in any grade receive a Box 5 marking a moderating process will be established to ensure that no more than 25% of staff receive an award. 
		
	
	Table 2 sets out the criteria to qualify for non consolidated performance awards for 2012-2013 for the Department's Trading Funds and Non-Departmental Public Bodies which have delegated pay arrangements.
	
		
			 Table 2 
			  Criteria 
			 Royal Air Force Museum 2012 Performance pay is linked to the appraisal system and a particular 'box mark' on a 5-point scale attracted a cash sum or %-based sum - ranging from £300 to £600. 2013 Performance pay will reward the top 25% of performers. 
			 Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Staff must have been in post on 1 July 2012 and have completed 6 months service with the RFA and be performing satisfactorily or above. 
			 Defence Support Group (DSG) DSG pays performance related bonuses to all satisfactory performers in the form of a Corporate Bonus Reward. 
			 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory Subject to trade union consultation and pay remit approval non-consolidated performance awards for 2012-13 will be restricted to under 25% of staff. 
			 Hydrographic Office The top 25% of staff in each grade will be rewarded with a performance award. Values are subject to negotiation. 
		
	
	It continues to be a fundamental principle of Government policy that reward in the public sector should be linked to performance. The Ministry of Defence, in line with other Government Departments, rewards performance through the use of non-consolidated payments which reflect outputs, results and performance. These payments are colloquially known as a 'bonuses', although this is a partially misleading description because the performance-related element of pay is part of the departmental pay bill, rather than being an additional cost.
	The total value of non-consolidated performance awards paid to staff in the Ministry of Defence (excluding Trading Funds) has fallen by 38.4% since financial year 2009-10.

Private Finance Initiative

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which private finance initiative projects relating to his Department have been re-financed in each year since May 2010; what the value is of each such project; what the re-financing gain has been in each such instance; and what amount the relevant government body received from such gain through a (a) lump sum and (b) reduction in the unitary charge.

Philip Hammond: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Procurement

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what checks on the financial health of potential contractors his Department carries out prior to awarding contacts; and whether such checks include a basic check to find out if monies are owed to HM Revenue and Customs. [R]

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does carry out financial health checks on potential contractors prior to contract award to ensure they have sufficient financial resources to deliver the contract. These checks include, for example, review of the last three years' audited accounts and turnover. We also ask contractors specifically about criminal activity such as convictions for tax evasion or fraud. Where justified, the MOD can eliminate suppliers who pose an unacceptable risk to public money from procurement.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish details of all (a) his Department’s and (b) its non-departmental public bodies’ existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Philip Dunne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Public Expenditure

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of his Department's budget was claimed against official development assistance funding in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: Figures are only available for calendar year 2011.
	In 2011, the Ministry of Defence reported that £6.85 million was spent on activities which meet the definition of Official Development Assistance (ODA). £2 million was from the Conflict Pool and the balance of £4.85 million estimated from MOD's own budget. Details of 2012 expenditure will be published in Statistics on International Development in the autumn.
	Looking ahead, a joint MOD and DFID study is investigating in the round the contribution, cost and funding mechanisms for Defence capabilities which support HMG upstream conflict prevention, development and humanitarian objectives. This will ensure that the MOD's important contributions are recognised and appropriately scored as Official Development Assistance.

RAF Cranwell

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the (a) Army and (b) Royal Navy currently undergo training at RAF Cranwell.

Andrew Robathan: There are 37 Royal Navy personnel and 22 Army personnel currently undergoing training at RAF Cranwell.

RAF Leuchars

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Quick Reaction Alert flights from RAF Leuchars have required air-to-air refuelling in each of the last five years.

Andrew Robathan: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Redundancy Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible received payments under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last five years; and at what total cost in each such year.

Andrew Robathan: The following table shows the number of Ministry of Defence (MOD) civil servants who have, over the last five financial years, left the Department under voluntary release and redundancy schemes and, since 30 September 2011, under the MOD Voluntary Early Release Scheme.
	
		
			 Number 
			   Financial year 
			 Organisation Scheme 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13(1) 
			 Department Voluntary release or redundancy 460 400 180 40 30 
			 Department Voluntary Early Release Scheme n/a n/a n/a 5,950 2,930 
			 MOD Trading Funds Voluntary release or redundancy 40 80 150 470 20 
			 n/a = not applicable. (1) To 31 January 2013. Notes: 1. The figures include all permanent, casual and Trading Fund civilian personnel, but exclude Royal Fleet Auxiliary and locally-engaged civilian personnel. 2 Statistical convention: figures have been rounded to the nearest 10; numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Rescue Services

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost to public funds of the tender process for the SAR-H contract which was abandoned in December 2011 was; and what the cost of the Ministry of Defence Police inquiry was into the events leading up to its abandonment.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence and the Department for Transport combined spent circa £10.7 million in support of the joint Search and Rescue Helicopter project. The Criminal Investigation Department of the Ministry of Defence police does not as a matter of routine record the cost of individual investigations.

Rescue Services: Cumbria

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions RAF Search and Rescue helicopters were used in operations in Cumbria in the last year; and from which bases those helicopters came in each instance.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 16 April 2013
	The information for callouts in Cumbria in 2012, broken down by RAF unit, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of callouts 
			 RAF Boulmer 36 
			 RAF Valley 9 
			 RAF Leconfield 4 
			 Total 49 
		
	
	There were also 13 Royal Navy Search and Rescue callouts attended by helicopters from HMS Gannet and five Mountain Rescue Team callouts in Cumbria in 2012. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency will also have responded to callouts.
	The 2012 annual report on Military Search and Rescue Statistics, published by the Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA), contains further information on callouts. A spreadsheet containing the latitude and longitude of every individual callout in 2012 is available to view on the DASA website at the following link:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page=48&pubType=l&thiscontent=400&PublishTime =09:30:00&date=2013-01-31

Reserve Forces

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are in each unit of the (a) Territorial Army, (b) Royal Air Force Reserve, (c) Royal Navy Reserve and (d) Royal Marine Reserve.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Reserve Forces

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel received their bounty in each unit of the (a) Territorial Army, (b) Royal Air Force Reserve, (c) Royal Navy Reserve and (d) Royal Marine Reserve in each of the last three years.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Reserve Forces

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reserve units are currently based in (a) Scotland, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Wales and (d) England; and what the location is of each such unit.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Royal Military Academy

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Air Force currently undergo training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

Andrew Robathan: No members of the Royal Navy or Royal Air Force currently undergo training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals his Department engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting;
	(2)  how many members of his Department's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and at what cost to the public purse;
	(3)  what meetings he or his officials have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting;
	(4)  what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse.

Andrew Robathan: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Service Complaints Commissioner

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will take steps to ensure that information about the Service Complaints Commissioner is provided to every new recruit in each of the three services; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will ensure that a question regarding awareness of the Service Complaints Commissioner is included in the annual Recruit Trainee Survey; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what consideration he has given to establishing a provision for whistleblowers to make service complaints; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: These issues were the subject of recommendations in the Service Complaints Commissioner's Annual Report 2012. The Ministry of Defence is considering the report carefully and will be responding shortly.

Stabilisation Unit

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of his Department's sponsored activities are conducted by the Stabilisation Unit.

Andrew Robathan: The Stabilisation Unit (SU) is jointly owned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Department for International Development and is fully funded by the Conflict Pool, and can be tasked by any of these three Departments.
	Consequently, the SU undertakes a wide range of activity where the MOD is the lead commissioning agency. Such activity has included scoping studies of the International Military Advisory Training Team in Sierra Leone, strategic defence reviews abroad and strategic security assessments.
	In addition, the SU delivers an ongoing series of inputs to MOD exercises as well as contributing advisory assistance to the development of stabilisation doctrine. Stabilisation Unit personnel have also participated in various Defence staff talks, are engaged in current military operations and have offered advice to a number of countries on security and justice.

Staff

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which private companies are contractually employed by his Department for work relating to the nuclear deterrent and the Vanguard Successor Class submarine programme; and how many people are (a) directly and (b) indirectly employed as a result of each contract with each such company.

Philip Dunne: The information relating to which suppliers are contractually employed is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost due to the number of suppliers involved in these programmes.
	In addition, the Ministry of Defence does not compile employment numbers on the defence equipment supply chain.

Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2013, Official Report, columns 443-4W, on telephone services, whether a UK landline number beginning with 01, 02 or 03 is publicly available as an alternative to the 0800, 0808, 0845 and 0870 numbers in use by his Department and the agencies for which he is responsible.

Andrew Robathan: For the majority of 0800, 0808, 0845 and 0870 telephone numbers provided to the Department through the Defence Fixed Telecommunications Service contract with British Telecom, there is an alternative Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) 01 or 02 number. There are no alternatives beginning with 03.
	Information about the public availability of these alternative 01 or 02 telephone numbers is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Defence, Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), on 10 April 2013, Official Report, column 1135W, to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) regarding the number of premium rate numbers provided through the Defence Fixed Telecommunications Service contract which are free to the caller and those which may incur a charge to the caller.

Territorial Army

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the current operational strength of each unit of the Territorial Army is.

Andrew Robathan: The current trained strength of the Territorial Army (Group A) is around 19,000. All of these individuals have a liability to be deployed.
	Figures at unit level are not collated and validated on a routine basis at present, so to provide the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mr Francois), is in discussion with officials about whether it is both practical and necessary for trained strength figures at unit level to be part of the regularly produced statistics necessary to monitor progress in the Army's programme to increase the trained strength of the Territorial Army. It is necessary to consider whether it would be practical and cost-effective to produce this information to the level of data quality required of official statistics, as opposed to those used for internal management information.

Ultra Electronics

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 61W, on Ultra Electronics, for which Ministry of Defence contracts Ultra Electronics is currently bidding.

Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 61W. Ultra Electronics has recently been successful in its bids for a further four contracts. The details of these are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Contract number Contract title Contract value (£) Contract end date 
			 NBC/00070 Engineering study to review environmental hazard detection system at Royal Naval Armaments Depot Coulport 19,082 30 April 2013 
			 MCS/1012 Modify in-service Submarine Acoustic Warfare Control System (SAWCS) 3,577,380 24 April 2016 
			 MCS/1008 SAWCS hardware in-service support 482,815 31 December 2016 
			 CBRN/00169 Support to Naval Fleet Radiation Capability 361,682 4 December 2017 
		
	
	According to Ministry of Defence records, there is no indication that Ultra Electronics has currently bid for other MOD contracts.

Ultra Electronics

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 61W, on Ultra Electronics, which contracts with Ultra Electronics are held with his Department's trading funds.

Philip Dunne: The following three contracts with Ultra Electronics are held by Ministry of Defence trading funds:
	
		
			 Contract number Contract title Trading fund 
			 LSBU5/0045 Procurement of Warrior push switch Defence Support Group 
			 DS&TE/019/B Post design services, procurement, modifications, repair and calibration of fuel system test sets, kits and parts for Tornado, Harrier, Chinook and other aircraft platforms Defence Support Group 
			 DSTLX 1000073537 Provision of spares in support of Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Team Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) 
		
	
	Two further contracts are held with Dstl but I am withholding the details as disclosure would or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Ultra Electronics

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 61W, on Ultra Electronics, if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes from the three introductory meetings held since May 2010 between Ministers from his Department and Ultra Electronics.

Philip Dunne: I have written to the hon. Member today.

Vacant Land

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the amount of surplus land held in the UK by his Department which could be released for economic development; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Francois: Information on surplus Ministry of Defence land which could be released for economic development and new homes has been published at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/33229/interim_disposals_database_house_of_commons_nov2012.csv
	A copy has also been placed in the Library of the House.

Veterans: Employment

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how his Department calculates the number of service-leavers who find employment;
	(2)  how many of those who completed the Career Transition Partnership in each of the last five years found long-term employment.

Mark Francois: holding answer 18 January 2013
	The majority of eligible service leavers make use of the services of the Career Transition Partnership (CTP—a partnering arrangement between MOD and Right Management Limited). For service leavers that have been assisted by CTP, an estimate of the employment rate is calculated at the six month point post discharge. This is achieved through a sampling exercise. The employment rate defines individuals who were actively seeking employment. The following table shows the results of this analysis:
	
		
			 Financial year(1) Estimated employment rate at six month point post-discharge (percentage) 
			 2008-09 93 
			 2009-10 93 
			 2010-11 94 
			 2011-12 92 
			 (1) 2012-13 data are not yet available.

Veterans: Employment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps he has taken to ensure adequate support for ex-service personnel in finding new employment on their return to civilian life.

Mark Francois: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Visits Abroad

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's budget was for overseas travel for officials and Ministers in 2012-13.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not set a specific budget for overseas travel. All Defence Ministers and officials must travel in the most cost-effective way possible. For example, neither the Defence Ministers nor officials travel first class by air.
	Information on overseas travel by the Defence Ministers is published quarterly and can be accessed by using the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministers-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings
	Information on overseas travel by the MOD's most senior officials is also published quarterly and can also be found using the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/senior-staff-business-expenses
	We are currently updating these data sets.

Warships

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the annual cost of (a) fuel, (b) spares, (c) maintenance and (d) training and other running costs, excluding crew costs of (i) a Type 45 destroyer, (ii) a Type 23 frigate, (iii) a Hunt-class mine countermeasures vessel, (iv) a Sandown-class mine countermeasures vessel, (v) a River-class offshore patrol vessel, (vi) an Archer-class patrol vessel and (vii) a Scimitar-class patrol vessel.

Philip Dunne: The current estimates of the annual cost for the various classes of vessel are shown in the following table, rounded to the nearest £100,000, except for figures under £100,000, which have been rounded to the nearest £5,000.
	It should be noted that the costs shown are average figures per ship, calculated across all ships in each class. Those costs are therefore not necessarily reflective of the costs of an individual ship of that class.
	
		
			 Class of vessel Fuel costs Engineering support costs Training costs and other running costs (excluding crew costs)(1) 
			 Type 45 Destroyer 2,600,000 (2)33,400,000 500,000 
			 Type 23 Frigate 1,700,000 19,200.000 600,000 
			 Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessel 200,000 3,900,000 300,000 
			 Sandown Class Mine Countermeasures Vessel 200,000 2,600,000 300,000 
			 River Class Offshore Patrol Vessel 800,000 (3)1,900.000 200,000 
			 Archer Class Patrol Vessel 25,000 200,000 n/a 
			 Scimitar Class Patrol Vessel (4)— 100,000 n/a 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Training costs are not broken down to platform level so this information is not held in the format requested. Other running costs included in this column are for items such as medical treatment, consumables and travel and subsistence. (2) Type 45 Engineering Support is done under a Contracting for Availability arrangement. Under this arrangement, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is not able to separately identify the costs of spares and other maintenance activity. The figure quoted therefore covers both spares and maintenance work, and associated costs. It is the average for HMS Daring, HMS Dauntless and HMS Diamond as these are the only three of the Class for which there is a full year cost. (3) The MOD pays for the Availability of the River Class vessel rather than spares and maintenance. The cost of spares is included in contract daily rates, which cannot be broken down any further. This is based on the Contractor Logistic Support strategy, in which the contractor delivers both the maintenance and the management of the maintenance activity. (4) It is not possible to break down the costs of fuel for the Scimitar Class Patrol vessel as this information is not held in the format requested.

Watts Andrews Report

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy of the Watts Andrews Report in the Library.

Mark Francois: I am happy to consider placing a copy of the report in the Library of the House. A review of the information requested is being conducted with regard to its suitability for release. I will write to the hon. Member shortly, once this assessment is complete.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2012, Official Report, column 896W, on armed forces: sexual offences, when he intends to write to the hon. Member for Bridgend;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2012, Official Report, column 897W, on armed forces: sexual offences, when he intends to write to the hon. Member for Bridgend.

Mark Francois: I replied to the hon. Member today.

JUSTICE

Alternatives to Prison

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of alternatives to short-term prison sentences.

Jeremy Wright: Community sentences are available for offences which are not serious enough to merit a custodial sentence. The public should have confidence in community punishment and that is why we are strengthening community sentences to include a strong punitive element.
	Prison is the right place for serious offenders. Of those sent to prison, 76% have already received a community sentence, and have persisted to reoffend, leading to a prison sentence.
	Currently, offenders with sentences of less than 12 months have the highest reoffending rates but receive no support after leaving prison. The MOJ are proposing changes that will guarantee support and rehabilitation for these offenders to stop the cycle of crime and reduce reoffending.

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) his Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

Helen Grant: Information on 'assets and liabilities' and 'assets held for sale' for the year ended 31 March 2013 will be available in our annual report and accounts, which are yet to be finalised.
	To provide a break down of assets and liabilities with value of each item would incur disproportionate cost.
	A consolidated Statement of Financial Position as at 31 March 2012 showing assets and liabilities is available on page 70 of the departmental annual report and accounts 2011-12. In addition, page 114, table 11 gives details of property, plant and equipment. The link is given as follows:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-justice-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-12

Community Orders: Greater London

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many serious further offences have been carried out by offenders being supervised on Community Payback in London since 31 October 2012.

Jeremy Wright: In the period 31 October 2012 to 28 March 2013, 10 serious further offences were committed by offenders who were subject to an unpaid work requirement. However, NOMS have not recorded any change in SFO numbers since the contract began.

Community Orders: Greater London

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what measures are available under the Community Payback in London contract to ensure that the contractor is involved in the investigation of any serious further offences carried out by offenders under the contractor's supervision.

Jeremy Wright: London Probation Trust undertakes all serious further offence investigations, with the participation of the contractor. The National Offender Management Service monitors both organisations through contract management arrangements, to ensure that recommendations are implemented.

Community Orders: Greater London

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders have been placed by the London Probation Trust on London Community Payback in each week since October 2012.

Jeremy Wright: All offenders in London on whom the courts impose an unpaid work requirement are managed by the London Probation Trust. In the period from 31 October 2012, when the contract with Serco came into effect, to 31 March 2013, a total of 4605 offenders commenced Community Payback placements in London.
	The monthly totals, provided by Serco, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Total 
			 November 2012 1,056 
			 December 2012 733 
			 January 2013 925 
			 February 2013 953 
			 March 2013 938

Community Orders: Greater London

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what comparative assessment he has made of the number of placements on the London Community Payback contract and the projected placement numbers prior to the contract being let.

Jeremy Wright: The contractor is required to provide a placement for any offender whom the courts make subject to an unpaid work requirement. The new Community Payback contract made two important changes to the delivery of the service: a longer working day and a four-day week. Delivery under the new contract is meeting demand from the courts.

Community Orders: Greater London

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will conduct a value for money assessment of the London Community Payback contract.

Jeremy Wright: The cost of the contract and the quality of service provision is assessed by the National Offender Management Service at quarterly contract management meetings.

Computers

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) desktop computers, (b) laptop computers and (c) tablet devices his Department has purchased in the last two years.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice leases desktop, laptop and tablet devices in use across the Ministry from IT service providers, rather than purchasing them.
	While it is possible that IT equipment is purchased locally, figures for this can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, in 2012, the MOJ total IT spend was down £50 million from 2007.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  which police authorities (a) provide and (b) do not provide coroners' officers and other staff;
	(2)  how many support staff were available to coroners in each coroner district in each year since May 2010.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice does not have operational responsibility for coroners and this information is not held centrally.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time coroners there are in each coroner district.

Helen Grant: There are currently 110 coroner districts, served by 97 coroners. 46 districts are served by a full-time coroner and 64 districts by a part-time coroner. A number of coroners are coroners in more than one district.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints were made relating to coroners, coroners offices or inquests in each coroner district in each year since May 2010.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his Department's consultation CP2/2013, on coroner reforms, which local authorities will be considered the relevant authority for each coroner area which spans more than one local authority.

Helen Grant: This will be for the local authorities to decide, but the relevant authority will normally be the larger area by population or number of deaths reported to the coroner. We anticipate that those authorities that are currently ‘lead authorities’ under the Coroners Act 1988 will automatically become the ‘relevant authorities’ under the 2009 Act.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his Department's consultation paper CP2/2013, on coroner reforms, what the fee paid to assistant coroners will be.

Helen Grant: This is a matter for local authorities and assistant coroners to determine between them.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his Department's consultation paper CP2/2013, on coroner reforms, how many (a) senior coroners, (b) area coroners and (c) assistant coroners will be required for each coroner area.

Helen Grant: The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 requires one senior coroner per coroner area. The Ministry of Justice does not intend to specify a minimum number of area coroners and this will be a matter for each local authority to determine based on local considerations. The Lord Chancellor will require there to be a minimum of one assistant coroner per coroner area.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much his Department has spent on (a) new coroners' offices and courts and (b) renovating existing coroners' offices and courts in each year since 2006;
	(2)  how many closures of coroners' offices and courts there were in each year since 2006.

Helen Grant: The coroner service in each district, including court and office accommodation, is locally provided and funded by the relevant local authority or authorities. Information on closures of coroners' offices and courts is not centrally held.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on the provision of training for (a) coroners and (b) coroner's office staff in each year since 2006.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the cost of each coroner district has been since May 2010;
	(2)  what the budget of each coroner district was in each year since May 2010;
	(3)  how much each local authority has spent on providing coroners' services and inquests in each year since May 2010.

Helen Grant: This information is not held centrally. However, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy's annual Administration of Justice Statistics include details of local authority expenditure on the coroner service by coroner district.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what expert medical assistance the Chief Coroner will have available to him when providing support, training and guidance to other coroners.

Helen Grant: It is anticipated that regulations made under section 21 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 will provide for medical advice to be given to the Chief Coroner by the National Medical Examiner, once appointed.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints the Office for Judicial Complaints has received in relation to coroners in each category of complaint in each year since 2006.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the quality and quantity of training provided for coroners and their office staff.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Coroners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  in what proportion of cases an inquest was opened or resumed following the acquittal of those charged with the deceased's death in each year since 2005;
	(2)  what the longest waiting time was in each coroner's district for an inquest held in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what the reasons were for the time taken in each case;
	(3)  how many (a) inquests into deaths in custody and (b) other inquests requiring a jury are outstanding in each coroner's district; and what the reasons are for the time taken to hold the inquests.

Helen Grant: The information requested in the above PQs is not held by the MOJ.
	Information held by MOJ in relation to coroners is published at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coroners-statistics-ns
	The next publication will cover the year 2012 and will be available on 16 May 2013.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library (a) his Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

Helen Grant: My officials have checked the records and found that information in the form my hon. Friend requested is not available.

Courts: Fines

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the relationship between court-imposed fines and payday loans since August 2012.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Crime: Victims

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements are in place for communication and co-operation between his Department and the Department of Health regarding victims of crime.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Crime: Victims

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the long-term mental health needs of victims of crime are met.

Helen Grant: The Government is committed to providing targeted support to those who have suffered the greatest impact from crime. In the consultation "Getting it right for victims and witnesses" the Government committed to funding support services that aimed to achieve two outcomes: helping victims to cope with the immediate impact of crime, and subsequently to recover from the harm them have experienced. The Ministry of Justice has committed £50 million of annual funding since 2010 to victims' services and, through our recent reforms to the Victim Surcharge and increases to financial penalties, we intend to raise up to an additional £50 million for victims' services paid for by offenders.

Crime: Victims

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were victims of crime in the UK, by category of crime, in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson dated April 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for the number of people who have been victims of crime in the UK, by category of crime, in each of the last five years
	The table below provides the number of victims of crime, as estimated by the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), for each of the main offence types over the last five financial years (April to March) for England and Wales.
	
		
			 Table 1. Trends in the number of households/adults who were victims of crime once or more, 2007-08 to 2011-12, England and Wales 
			 Crime category 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Number of household victims      
			 All household crime 3,907,281 4,096,644 3,802,695 3,825,605 3,843,431 
			 Vandalism 1,662,684 1,747,998 1,555,720 1,431,668 1,376,043 
			 Burglary 550,829 569,194 520,755 610,219 569,397 
			 Vehicle-related theft 1,158,579 1,168,593 1,011,270 985,739 996,445 
			 Bicycle theft 372,415 444,684 411,615 445,929 403,323 
			 Other household theft 790,647 857,226 887,017 968,279 1,066,264 
			       
			 Number of adult victims aged 16 and over      
			 All personal crime 2,664,429 2,799,881 2,536,678 2,650,644 2,671,434 
			 Theft from the person 541,862 641,864 490,316 494,188 588,621 
			 Other theft of personal property 860,445 942,952 888,000 865,325 928,955 
			 All violence 1,421,082 1,419,034 1,331,429 1,392,711 1,358,356 
			 Notes: 1. Figures for all violence, theft from the person and other theft of personal property are based on adults. Figures for vandalism, burglary, vehicle-related theft, bicycle theft and other household theft are based on households. 2. The sum of the individual crimes will not add up to the totals for household and personal crime, as a household/adult can be a victim of more than one type of crime. Source: Crime Survey for England and Wales and mid-year population estimates. Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	An additional table has also been provided which shows the proportion of victims for each crime type in England and Wales for 2007-08 to 2011-12.
	
		
			 Table 2: Trends in the percentage of households/adults who were victims of crime once or more, 2007-08 to 2011-12, England and Wales 
			 Crime category 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Percentage of household victims      
			 All household crime 17.1 17.8 16.4 16.3 16.2 
			 Vandalism 7.3 7.6 6.7 6.1 5.8 
			 Burglary 2.4 2.5 2.2 2.6 2.4 
			 Vehicle-related theft 5.1 5.1 4.4 4.2 4.2 
			 Bicycle theft 1.6 1.9 1.8 1.9 1.7 
			 Other household theft 3.5 3.7 3.8 4.1 4.5 
			       
			 Percentage of adult victims aged 16 and over      
			 All personal crime 6.1 6.3 5.7 5.9 5.9 
			 Theft from the person 1.2 1.5 1.1 1.1 1.3 
			 Other theft of personal property 2.0 2.1 2.0 1.9 2.1 
			 All violence 3.2 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.0 
		
	
	
		
			 Note: Percentages for all violence, theft from the person and other theft of personal property are based on adults. Percentages for vandalism, burglary, vehicle-related theft, bicycle theft and other household theft are based on households. Source: Crime Survey for England and Wales, Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	These figures have been published by ONS and are available in Table A3 accompanying the quarterly crime statistics, year ending March 2012. This statistical bulletin is available on the ONS website here:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/period-ending-march-2012/index.html
	Crime statistics for Scotland and Northern Ireland are collected and published separately, and can be downloaded from:
	Scotland:
	http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/TrendCrimeVic
	Northern Ireland:
	http://www.dojni.gov.uk/index/statistics-research/stats-research-publications/northern-ireland-crime-survey-s-r/r--s-bulletin-1-2013-experience-of-crime-findings-from-the-2011-12-northern-ireland-crime-survey.htm

Crime: Victims

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what provisions are in place to inform victims of violent crime of decisions concerning the perpetrator's probation status, where the perpetrator has been in prison for more than (a) five years, (b) 10 years and (c) 20 years.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Crime: Victims

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of compatibility of the Victims' Code with (a) guidance issued by the Youth Justice Board and (b) the requirements of the courts system.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Criminal Proceedings

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his speech of 19 February 2013 on delays in the criminal justice system, if he will publish citations for the research quoted in that speech.

Damian Green: On 19 February 2013, I gave a speech on delays in the criminal justice system. The statistics I quoted in that speech came from the following source:
	Court Statistics Quarterly Bulletin (Criminal Matters—Tables 3.1-3.14):
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/court-statistics-quarterly--2
	An Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales (Duration from Offence to Completion in Criminal Courts—Table 5)
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/an-overview-of-sexual-offending-in-england-and-wales
	Annual Judicial and Court Statistics:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/judicial-and-court-statistics-annual
	Crime in England and Wales:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Crime+and+Justice
	HMCTS Management Information
	In November last year, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), announced as one of his priorities a real drive for a criminal justice and court system that works effectively and puts victims first. Work is under way to increase both the effectiveness and efficiency of the criminal justice system. It will look at the whole of the system to drive performance and tackle some of the perennial weaknesses so it is quicker, less erratic and more efficient.

Criminal Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what his policy is on the competitive tendering of criminal legal aid contracts;
	(2)  what the Government's policy is on a single fee system Crown Court representation;
	(3)  what percentage saving to the legal aid budget is expected from the introduction of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid contracts;
	(4)  whether London will be a competition area in the first round of bids in competitive tendering for criminal legal aid contracts;
	(5)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that competitive tendering for criminal legal aid will offer fair opportunities to small, medium-sized and large companies;
	(6)  how many alternative business structures applied for accreditation to undertake criminal defence contracts.

Jeremy Wright: The Secretary of State’s proposals for further reforms to legal aid including proposals to introduce price competition in criminal legal aid were published on 9 April 2013 in Consultation Paper CP 14/2013 entitled 'Transforming legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system". This consultation is available at:
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/transforming-legal-aid
	No alternative business structures applied for accreditation to undertake criminal defence contracts in 2010.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government is taking to give effect to the recommendations on regulatory and statutory frameworks relating to the Data Protection Act 1998 in paragraphs 48 to 57 of the summary of recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson's report into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press.

Helen Grant: Given the potentially far-reaching nature of Lord Justice's recommendations in relation to data protection, in particular for the conduct of responsible investigative journalism, it is the Government's view that the recommendations relating to data protection require careful consideration by a wide audience. It is therefore our intention to conduct a public consultation on the full range of data protection proposals, which will seek views on their impact and how they might be approached.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps the Government is taking to give effect to the recommendations on regulatory and statutory frameworks relating to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 in paragraphs 67 and 68 of the summary of recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson's report into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press;
	(2)  what steps the Government is taking to give effect to the recommendations on regulatory and statutory frameworks relating to the civil procedure rules in paragraphs 67 and 68 of the summary of recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson's report into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press.

Jeremy Wright: Paragraph 67 of Lord Justice Leveson's summary of recommendations is contingent on further secondary legislation being made to give effect to the provisions of sections 77-78 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 (CJIA). It is the Government's intention to conduct a public consultation on the full range of Lord Justice Leveson's data protection proposals, including on sections 77-78 of the CJIA, which will seek views on their impact and how they might be approached.
	It is also the Government's intention to conduct a public consultation on the recommendations contained in paragraph 68 concerning possible amendments to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. A consultation on these recommendations will be launched in due course.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government is taking to give effect to the recommendations on regulatory and statutory frameworks relating to civil law in paragraphs 69 to 74 of the summary of recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson's report into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press.

Jeremy Wright: Provisions in the Crime and Courts Bill, which is currently before Parliament, give effect to the recommendations made by Lord Justice Leveson relating to aggravated and exemplary damages (Recommendations 71 and 72) and the awards of costs (Recommendation 73). These provisions will introduce strong and effective incentives for relevant publishers to join a recognised independent self-regulator.
	The Government has recently received advice from the Civil Justice Council in relation to Recommendation 74 (costs protection). The Government will consider how that should be taken forward before setting out the next steps.
	Recommendations 69 and 70 relate to the level of damages awarded for certain media torts. The Civil Justice Council is to consider this area as recommended by Lord Justice Leveson following its work on costs protection. As Lord Justice Leveson indicated, how this is then taken forward will ultimately be a matter for the courts to consider.

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government is taking to give effect to the recommendations on regulatory and statutory frameworks relating to the recommendations of the Information Commissioner in paragraphs 58 to 66 of the summary of recommendations of Lord Justice Leveson's report into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press.

Jeremy Wright: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the independent regulatory body responsible for enforcing the Data Protection Act 1998.
	On 7 January 2013, the ICO published its formal response to a series of recommendations specifically directed at the ICO by Lord Justice Leveson's report. The response and a progress report can be found on the ICO's website at the following link:
	http://www.ico.org.uk/news/current_topics

Dementia

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department has a dementia strategy.

Jeremy Wright: The MOJ recognises the importance of dementia as an issue, particularly with an ageing population in the UK. Given this, we are taking action across our policy and operational arms to ensure that dementia and the needs of dementia sufferers are taken into account.
	We are taking proactive steps in a number of areas:
	The Office of the Public Guardian is working with the financial services industry to make the sector more dementia friendly, including publication of guidance developed with the British Banking Association and Building Societies Association which will ensure staff recognise and understand Lasting Powers of Attorney and court-appointed deputies. A cross-industry charter on working with customers who are living with dementia will be published in the coming months.
	For prisoners, the Government's upcoming Care and Support Bill will introduce provisions that clarify the responsibilities in assessing need and providing support, including dementia care.
	Where our staff take on caring responsibilities, flexible or part-time working policies and special leave, such as career breaks, can support them. Staff directly affected are supported by line managers and through our Occupational Health Service, and assisted by our Reasonable Adjustment Support Service, to identify adjustments that can support the individual to remain and progress at work.

Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many civil servants in his Department have been subject to non-disclosure agreements in each year since 2010.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Domestic Violence: Prosecutions

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many victimless prosecutions in cases of domestic violence have been conducted by each police force in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Driving Under Influence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of offences of drink driving in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The number of persons found guilty at all courts for drink driving offences, in England and Wales, for the period 2007 to 2011, can be viewed in the table.
	Court proceedings data for 2012 are planned for publication in May 2013.
	
		
			 Persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for drink driving offences(1) (with conviction ratio(2)), England and Wales, 2007-11(3,4) 
			 Outcome 2007 2008(5) 2009 2010 2011 
			 Proceeded against 74,495 66,417 63,352 54,097 50,622 
			 Found guilty 71,799 64,357 61,437 52,069 48,883 
			       
			 Conviction ratio (%) 96.4 96.9 97.0 96.3 96.6 
			 (1) Includes the following offences: Road Traffic Act 1988, s.4(1)—Driving or attempting to drive a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink Road Traffic Act 1988, s.4(2)—Being in charge of mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink Road Traffic Act 1988, s.5(1)(a)—Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle while having a breath, blood or urine alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit Road Traffic Act 1988, s.5(1)(b)—In charge of a motor vehicle while having a breath, blood or urine alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit Road Traffic Act 1988, s.6(6)—Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of breath for a preliminary test (2) Conviction ratio is calculated as the number of convictions as a proportion of the number of proceedings. (3) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Drugs: Police Cautions and Convictions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many cautions have been issued for (a) all drug possession offences and (b) possession of cannabis under section 5 (1) and (2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in each year since 1983;
	(2)  how many convictions have been made for (a) all drug possession offences and (b) possession of cannabis under section 5 (1) and (2) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in each year since 1983.

Jeremy Wright: On 3 April 2013 we launched a review into the use of cautions which will focus on the use of cautions for serious offences and persistent offenders. Among other things, the review will examine whether there are some offences for which the use of simple cautions is generally inappropriate, the reasons why multiple cautions are given to some criminals and the difference in the use of cautions by police force areas. The review is a significant step to ensuring that cautions are used correctly, in the interests of justice, and command the confidence of the public. The review will be completed by the end of May 2013.
	Those guilty of drug possession offences are more likely to face court than they were five years ago. The number of offenders cautioned for and found guilty of possession of drugs offences, with cannabis possession offences shown separately, in England and Wales, from 1984 to 2011 (latest data available), can be viewed in the tables.
	It is not possible to separately identify from centrally held information the number of offenders cautioned for and found guilty of possession of cannabis prior to 1993 and the number of offenders cautioned for and found guilty of all possession of drug offences prior to 1984. Further, it is not possible to separately identify from centrally held information the number of offenders cautioned for possession of drug offences in the years 1987 and 1988, as all drug related offences were recorded under a single offence category for those two years.
	Court proceedings and cautions data for 2012 are planned for publication in May 2013.
	
		
			 Offenders cautioned for possession of drugs offences, England and Wales, 1983 to 2011(1,2,3) 
			 Offence 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987(4) 1988(4) 1989 1990 1991 1992 
			 All drug possession offences n/a 1,863 3,427 4,209 n/a n/a 12,517 17,959 20,381 26,142 
			 Of which:           
			 Possession of cannabis(5) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
			 All drug possession offences 33,113 41,740 45,215 44,732 53,451 56,370 47,342 39,468 38,065 43,377 
			 Of which:           
			 Possession of cannabis(5) 30,015 38,172 39,871 37,323 44,458 47,490 39,565 32,899 31,797 36,933 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 
			 All drug possession offences 43,927 30,553 32,194 34,715 39,667 43,582 39,652 36,007 37,320 
			 Of which:          
			 Possession of cannabis(5) 37,128 21,357 21,117 20,370 21,247 22,823 20,609 18,870 19,255 
			 n/a = Not available (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) For 1987 and 1988, all drug related offences were recorded under a single offence category, hence it is not possible to separately identify possession of drug offences for these two years. (5) Data include s.5(2) and sch. 4 Misuse of Drugs Act 1971—“Having possession of a controlled drug—Cannabis or cannabis resin”. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			 Offenders found guilty at all courts of possession of drugs offences, England and Wales, 1983 to 2011(1,2,3) 
			 Offence 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 
			            
			 All drug possession offences n/a 13,732 13,373 11,179 11,106 13,337 16,404 17,963 16,762 15,162 
			 Of which:           
			 Possession of cannabis(4) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
			 All drug possession offences 14,160 18,867 20,733 22,261 27,577 35,782 36,616 33,845 34,958 38,134 
			 Of which:           
			 Possession of cannabis(4) 8,823 12,619 13,322 13,555 17,276 22,643 22,623 20,726 20,752 23,655 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 (4) 2009 2010 2011 
			 All drug possession offences 39,633 27,802 27,320 28,040 31,722 38,087 41,342 43,406 42,247 
			 Of which:          
			 Possession of cannabis(4) 25,714 13,320 12,095 12,536 14,073 17,855 21,457 25,188 26,215 
			 n/a = Not available (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (4) Data include s.5(2) and sch. 4 Misuse of Drugs Act 1971—“Having possession of a controlled drug—Cannabis or cannabis resin” Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of time was for the Tribunals Service to administer a First-tier Tribunal-Social Security and Child Support appeal in respect of employment and support allowance in Coventry in (a) each quarter in 2012 and (b) the latest period for which figures are available.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Expert Evidence

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  if he will take steps to ensure that expert witnesses have access to prisoners to conduct interviews in line with filing dates ordered by the court; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that (a) psychiatric and (b) psychological interviews conducted by expert witnesses with prisoners are held on a confidential basis; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect on prisoners of (a) psychiatric and (b) psychological interviews by expert witnesses with prisoners being conducted under the auspices of legal visits; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Prisons will always try and accommodate the requirements of expert witnesses. However operational constraints, including the limited availability of the expert witness or requests for interviews made at short notice, may mean this is not always possible.

Fines: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total value of court fines and confiscation orders (a) paid and (b) remaining unpaid in London was in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Funeral Payments: Advisory Services

Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will ensure that all advice and information being provided to the public is amended to remove all errors to which his attention has been drawn by Teresa Evans of Milton Keynes and the Alice Barker Trust through their submissions to him on legal references and related information.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has not knowingly provided erroneous advice or information to the public. Mrs Evans and the Alice Barker Trust have over an extended period raised numerous issues about coroner, burial and burial law and policy which have been answered in full.

Homicide: Convictions

Ian Paisley Jnr: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of murder or manslaughter in 2012.

Jeremy Wright: Court proceedings data for 2012 are planned for publication in May 2013.

Hotels

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials in his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies stayed in hotels in (i) the UK and (ii) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Legal Aid Scheme

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much of the legal aid budget in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12 was used to pay VAT on solicitors' bills.

Jeremy Wright: It will take time for the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) to produce this information, which is held in a number of different systems. I will write to the hon. Member when the information is available.
	Note that the LAA can only produce this information in relation to those parts of the legal aid budget directly under LAA's administration. This does not include amounts administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) on behalf of the LAA as non recoverable VAT is not recorded separately on HMCTS systems.

Legal Aid Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people who have experienced domestic violence have claimed legal aid to fund divorce proceedings in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many grants of legal aid to individuals in divorce proceedings made on the basis of a claim of domestic violence have subsequently been revoked following a rating that the claim was false in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency does not hold records indicating how many people who have experienced domestic violence have claimed legal aid to fund divorce proceedings.
	The changes under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012, that restricted legal aid funding for divorce cases to clients who have evidence of domestic violence, took effect on 1 April 2013, and information is not yet available on the numbers of clients who have experienced domestic violence and obtained legal aid.

Legal Aid Scheme

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to his Department's consultation entitled Transforming Legal Aid: Delivering a More Credible and Efficient System, how much his Department expects to save each year as a result of (a) price competitive tendering of criminal legal aid, (b) preventing prisoners from accessing legal aid and (c) preventing foreign migrants from accessing legal aid for their first 12 months in the country in each of the next three financial years.

Jeremy Wright: The Government cannot ignore that we have one of the most expensive legal aid systems in the world, spending more than £l billion of taxpayer's money on criminal legal aid each year. We must ensure we get the very best value for every penny spent. The Government is tackling areas which are eroding public confidence—such as wealthy defendants who can afford to pay their own costs routinely receiving legal aid, prisoners being given legal aid for issues better dealt with via the prisoner complaints system, a small amount of high cost cases swallowing up many millions in public money, and those who do not have a strong connection to this country qualifying for civil legal aid.
	The anticipated savings the Ministry of Justice aims to achieve in relation to the three specific areas you have raised are as follows:
	
		
			 Estimate in £ million 
			  (a) Price competition for Criminal Legal Aid (b) Prison Law (c) Civil Residence Test 
			 2013-14 0 -1 n/a 
			 2014-15 -73 -3 n/a 
			 2015-16 -112 -3 n/a 
			 2016-17 -118 -4 n/a 
		
	
	(A) Competition:
	The purpose of the proposed tendering exercise is for lawyers to compete to offer the taxpayer the best value price for a quality service. Therefore the extent of any savings is dependent upon the outcome of that exercise. In order to ensure the price competition delivers a saving to the legal aid fund, we are proposing to set a price cap at 17.5% below the rates paid in 2012-13 for each class of work in each procurement area, which is expected to ensure savings of £118 million per annum. The figures in the table above reflect the 17.5% reduction.
	(B) Prison Law:
	As stated in the table above, from 2016-17 this proposal is estimated to save taxpayers approximately £4 million and reduce by around 11,000 the number of criminal legally-aided cases brought by prisoners a year.
	(C) Residence Test:
	We do not currently collect data on the nationality or immigration status of civil legal aid recipients, so it is not possible to quantify how many people will be affected by this proposal or any associated cost savings. This proposal aims to improve public confidence in the legal aid scheme and to focus our limited resources for civil legal aid on those who have a strong connection to the UK. This is in line with the approach taken across Government to provision of public services.

Legal Aid Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost of legal aid in each of the next 10 years.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Legal Aid Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how his proposed new rota system for solicitors will operate under legal aid.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice consultation, ‘Transforming legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’, launched on 9 April sets out, among a number of other proposals, a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid. One element of that model is the method by which criminal legal aid work would be allocated to those providing publicly funded legal services. At paragraphs 4.87 to 4.98 of the consultation paper we set out a number of options with regard case allocation (including a rota based system) to which we are seeking views from all interested parties. A decision on the most appropriate case allocation method will be decided having considered all responses to the consultation. The Ministry of Justice is interested to hear views from all interested parties.

Legal Aid Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what choice clients will have when selecting a solicitor for representation under the new legal aid system.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice consultation, ‘Transforming legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’, launched on 9 April sets out, among a number of other proposals, a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid. One element of that model is the extent to which clients have the opportunity to choose their legal representative. At paragraphs 4.79 to 4.86 we set out proposals to restrict the level of choice whereby clients would generally have no choice in the provider allocated to them at the point of requesting advice, and would be required to stay with that provider for the duration of the case, subject to exceptional circumstances in which clients might be permitted to change their allocated provider (either at the point of requesting advice or during a case). We are clear we will continue to uphold everyone's right to a fair trial, quality assured representatives will still be available just as they are now, but that does not mean we should not look again to deliver better value for the £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid each year. The Ministry of Justice is interested to hear views from all interested parties.

Legal Aid Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many solicitors in the UK will no longer qualify to take part in the legal aid system under his plans for legal aid.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice consultation, ‘Transforming legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’, launched on 9 April sets out, among a number of other proposals, a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid. The model would result in a reduction in a number of contract holders available but gives providers the freedom to develop the most efficient approach in delivering service. It is not an automatic consequence of our proposals that the number of individual solicitors providing legal aid services will reduce. Some may choose to join together to apply for a contract, others may decide to act as agents. We have been very clear we will work closely with all interested parties on both the detail of the proposals, as well as helping anyone interested in applying ready themselves to bid for contracts. At a time when businesses across the country have to adapt to a very difficult financial climate the legal sector cannot be immune.

Legal Aid Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many different legal firms have participated in the legal aid system in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Legal Aid Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what process his Department used to draw up details of contracts let for tendering in the criminal legal aid market; what methodology his Department used to set the price cap under which applicants were invited to submit bids for legal aid contracts at 17.5 per cent below the rates paid in 2012-13; and what the percentage under current rates will be over a period of five years.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice consultation, ‘Transforming legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’, launched on 9 April sets out, among a number of other proposals, a proposed model of competitive tendering for criminal legal aid. The details of any future contracts delivered as a result of competition would be informed by the responses received to this consultation and the decisions made with regard to the model of competition. The proposal to set a price cap at 17.5% below the rates paid in 2012-13 would ensure the competition delivered a substantial saving to the legal aid fund. The prices set by the competition will be applied across the full contract term. Under the proposed model of competition, the contract term would be three years with the opportunity to extend by up to a further two years. We have been very clear we will work closely with all interested parties on both the detail of the proposals, as well as helping anyone interested in applying ready themselves to bid for contracts. At a time when businesses across the country have to adapt to a very difficult financial climate the legal sector cannot be immune.

Legal Aid Scheme: Civil Proceedings

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases relating to (a) housing, (b) asylum claims and (c) domestic abuse were funded by civil legal aid and assessed as having borderline prospects of success; and what proportion of such cases were successful in each year since May 2008.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) holds this information for certain categories of legal aid. I will write to the hon. Member once the information has been identified.

Legal Aid Scheme: Civil Proceedings

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many immigration cases involving alleged victims of human trafficking were funded by civil legal aid; and what proportion of these cases were successful in each year since May 2008.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) does not hold information on whether immigration claims involved alleged victims of human trafficking for the years in question; legal aid cases are funded in broad categories and it is not possible to isolate such cases from the total caseload for immigration and asylum.

Legal Aid Scheme: Foreign Nationals

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much legal aid was spent on foreign migrants within their first 12 months in the country in the last five years;
	(2)  on how many occasions foreign migrants accessed legal aid during their first 12 months in the country in each of the last five years; and how many such migrants were successful in their actions.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency does not record the nationality of legal aid claimants, and so cannot provide the costs, frequency or other details of such cases.
	The proposals outlined in our consultation paper, ‘Transforming Legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’, published on 9 April, aim to boost public confidence in, and drive greater efficiency in the legal aid system. Under our proposals, applicants for civil legal aid would have to satisfy a residence test in order to be eligible for civil legal aid. This would ensure that civil legal aid is targeted at those who have a strong connection to the UK.

Legal Aid Scheme: Prisoners

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how much has been spent on legal aid for prisoners in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many prisoners were granted legal aid in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The Government is clear that legal aid must be available to those who need it, but resources are not limitless.
	Restrictions placed on prisoners' access to legal advice are having an impact. In July 2010 we reduced the availability of legal aid for prison law treatment cases, which has already reduced spend. A consultation paper outlining a number of proposed reforms to the legal aid scheme, including a proposal to restrict the scope of criminal legal aid for prison law, was published by the Ministry of Justice on 9 April 2013.
	The majority of prison complaints can and should be dealt with through the prison service's complaints system. All prisoners have access to this internal complaint system, which has a clear set of procedures and regulations to fairly hear cases. Even if this has been exhausted a prisoner can refer an issue to the Independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for consideration. In most cases prisoners do not require legal advice to use these processes. A publicly funded lawyer is just unnecessary. We believe our proposals will save taxpayers about £4 million and reduce the number of legally-aided cases brought by prisoners a year by around 11,000.
	The details of total criminal legal aid spending on prison law each year from financial years 2007-08 to 2011-12 is in the following table. The amount spent on prison law in financial year 2012-13 is not yet available, but will be published by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) in the summer.
	
		
			 Legal aid spend on prison law in England and Wales 
			  £ million 
			 2007-08 16 
			 2008-09 21 
			 2009-10 25 
			 2010-11 26 
			 2011-12 23 
		
	
	Figures disclosed relate to spend on prison law only rather than legal aid spent on prisoners. The LAA does not identify or record in its databases whether claimants of civil legal aid are prisoners.
	The LAA does not hold information on the number of prisoners who were granted legal aid in each of the last five years. This is because the LAA records the number of ‘acts of assistance’, rather than the number of people who receive legal aid. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person.

Legal Aid Scheme: Prisoners

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison law cases funded by legal aid concerned (a) prison conditions, (b) treatment by staff, (c) discrimination, (d) communications and visits, (e) mother and baby issues, (f) compassionate release, (g) behaviour courses and (h) other treatment issues; and what proportion of these cases was successful since May 2008.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people qualified for legal aid in North Wales in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect on legal firms in North Wales of his proposals for legal aid;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the overall economic effect in North Wales of changes to the legal aid system.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice consultation paper, ‘Transforming legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’, published on 9 April was accompanied by a number of Impact Assessments on each of the proposals set out in the consultation paper. Readers are invited to provide views on the impact assessments in response to consultation.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid out in criminal legal aid costs to solicitors firms in (a) Wrexham constituency and (b) North Wales in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many firms received criminal legal aid payments in (a) Wrexham constituency and (b) North Wales in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many firms in Clwyd South constituency received criminal legal aid payments in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Legal Aid Scheme: Wales

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what amount was paid in criminal legal aid costs to solicitors' firms in Clwyd South constituency in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Legal Profession

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the overall economic benefit to the economy of legal firms in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Meetings

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  on which occasions special advisers in his Department met with representatives of (a) G4S, (b) Serco, (c) Sodexo, (d) MTC/Amey, (e) A4E and (f) Working Links between 12 May 2010 and 3 September 2012;
	(2)  on which occasions since 4 September 2012 special advisers in his Department have met a representative or representatives of (a) G4S, (b) Serco, (c) Sodexo, (d) MTC/Amey, (e) A4E and (f) Working Links.

Jeremy Wright: There is no record of Special Advisers having met with representatives of (a) G4S, (b) Serco, (c) Sodexo, (d) MTC/Amey, (e) A4E and (f) Working Links between 12 May 2010 and 3 September 2012.
	Since 4 September 2012, Special Adviser met Director of Policy of A4E on 11 December 2012.

National Crime Agency: Northern Ireland

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Justice Minister of Northern Ireland and (b) leaders of each of the political parties in the Northern Ireland Executive regarding the interaction of the National Crime Agency with Northern Ireland policing arrangements.

Jeremy Wright: The National Crime Agency is a matter for the Secretary of State for the Home Department. I am aware that the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), Home Office Ministers and officials have had a number of meetings and discussions with David Ford, the Northern Ireland Justice Minister, and his officials to support his discussions on the National Crime Agency in Northern Ireland and legislative consent. The Government remains committed to delivering a UK-wide crime fighting agency focused on tackling serious organised and complex crime.

Offenders: Deportation

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what records his Department keeps on foreign criminals who (a) are eligible to be recommended for deportation, (b) are recommended for deportation, (c) are not recommended for deportation, (d) are successfully deported and (e) were subject to deportation orders that were not successful.

Jeremy Wright: When the court makes a recommendation that the individual should be considered for deportation this is recorded on the relevant case management systems used in the magistrates and Crown courts.
	The Ministry of Justice does not keep records on foreign national criminals who are successfully deported or who were subject to deportation orders that were not successful. This is a matter for the Secretary of State for the Home Department.

Offenders: Females

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the total budget was for women's centres in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; and what the proposed budget is in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15;
	(2)  what the budget was for each women's centre in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13; and what the proposed budget is for each such centre in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

Offenders: Foreign Nationals

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many non-European Economic Area nationals received custodial sentences of between six and 12 months in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012;
	(2)  how many nationals of European Economic Area countries received custodial sentences of 12 months or more in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not the specific circumstances of each case, including nationality of offenders.
	However, the best alternative for these figures are the prison statistics in the table which show the following: Sentenced receptions EEA/non-EEA nationals by sentence length from January 2011 to September 2012, in England and Wales. Figures for the year 2010 are unavailable.
	
		
			 Sentenced receptions EEA/non-EEA nationals by sentence length, January 2011 to September 2012, England and Wales 
			  EEA Non-EEA EEA Non-EEA 
			 More than 6 months to less than 12 months 598 639 500 428 
			 12 months or more 1,752 2,992 1,374 2,022 
			 All 2,350 3,631 1,874 2,450

Offenders: Temporary Accommodation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders in each probation trust area are in temporary accommodation (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) a year following release from prison.

Jeremy Wright: Probation trusts are required to report the percentage of offenders in accommodation at the termination of supervision which in 2012 was 86.3%(1).
	Broken down by individual probation trust, the percentage at termination in 2012 is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 Avon and Somerset Probation Trust 85 
			 Bedfordshire Probation Trust 88 
			 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Probation Trust 87 
			 Cheshire Probation Trust 89 
			 Cumbria Probation Trust 88 
			 Derbyshire Probation Trust 90 
			 Devon and Cornwall Probation Trust 85 
			 Dorset Probation Trust 81 
			 Durham Tees Valley Probation Trust 86 
			 Essex Probation 89 
			 Gloucestershire Probation Trust 87 
			 Greater Manchester Probation Trust 88 
			 Hampshire Probation Trust 83 
			 Hertfordshire Probation Trust 88 
			 Humberside Probation Trust 90 
			 Kent Probation 81 
			 Lancashire Probation Trust 89 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland Probation Trust 87 
			 Lincolnshire Probation Trust 85 
			 London Probation Trust 86 
			 Merseyside Probation Trust 88 
			 Norfolk and Suffolk Probation Trust 86 
			 Northamptonshire Probation Trust 90 
		
	
	
		
			 Northumbria Probation Trust 88 
			 Nottinghamshire Probation Trust 87 
			 South Yorkshire Probation Trust 86 
			 Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust 88 
			 Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust 82 
			 Thames Valley Probation 84 
			 Wales Probation Trust 85 
			 Warwickshire Probation Trust 90 
			 West Mercia Probation Trust 87 
			 West Yorkshire Probation Trust 85 
			 Wiltshire Probation Trust 87 
			 York and North Yorkshire Probation Trust 88 
		
	
	Data for earlier years is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2010-11 86.2 
			 2009-10 81.9 
			 2008-09 77.8 
		
	
	However, data on the type of accommodation is not collected centrally. Similarly, data on accommodation is not collected at any other fixed point during supervision.
	(1) These have all been published in the NOMS Annual Report: Management Information Addendum for the respective years
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/prison-probation-performance-info

Official Hospitality

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible claimed reimbursements for working lunches and official entertainment in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was in each such year.

Helen Grant: The Department does not hold central records for expenditure on working lunches and official entertainment. However, the following restrictions apply to all staff with effect from August 2010:
	No lunches, tea or coffees can be ordered for any internal meeting (i.e. a meeting between MOJ staff). Water and jugs are freely available in most of our offices.
	For all external meetings (i.e. a meeting between MOJ staff and external stakeholders), lunch, tea and coffee purchases require director-level sign-off and are only allowed in exceptional circumstances.
	To provide information on spend and how many officials claimed reimbursements for working lunches and official entertainment in each of the last five years would involve disproportionate cost.

Parole

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what further offences were committed by offenders released on licence between 1997 and 2012 and classified as high risk during their licence period.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

Parole

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those offenders released on licence between 1997 and 2012 had their risk level increased during their time on licence.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

Parole

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those offenders released on licence between 1997 and 2012 that had committed a crime while on licence had their risk level increased.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

Parole

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders released on licence between 1997 and 2012 have had their risk level fluctuate (a) never, (b) once, (c) twice, (d) three times, (e) four times and (f) five times or more.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

Parole

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average number of occasions is that the level of risk of a released offender fluctuated during their licence period in each year since 1997.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

Personal Injury: Compensation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) Officials of his Department have had regarding proposals to limit the small claims court limit to £5,000 for road traffic accident personal injury claims.

Helen Grant: Ministers have had no meetings with stakeholders regarding proposals on the small claims threshold for personal injury claims included in the recent ‘Reducing the number and cost of whiplash claims’ consultation. Ministry of Justice officials held discussions with representatives from a number of key stakeholder groups including:
	Association of British Insurers
	Forum of Insurance Lawyers
	Motor Accident Solicitors Society
	Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
	Consumer Justice Alliance
	Access to Justice Action Group
	Association of Medical Reporting Organisations
	British Orthopaedic Association
	Royal Society of General Practitioners.
	In addition, officials discussed the proposals with the Law Society as part of a meeting on the wider civil justice reform agenda, as well as holding consultation meetings with individual representatives from insurance, claimant lawyer and the medical sectors during the consultation period.

Police: Prosecutions

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions brought against serving police officers were commenced but did not proceed to trial between January and December 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales, but does not include details of the occupations of defendants. As such, it is not possible to identify in all cases where a prosecution is brought against a serving police officer.

Prison Accommodation

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what spare capacity there was in prisons in the (a) UK and (b) East Midlands in January (i) 2010 and (ii) 2013.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Prisoner Escapes

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prisoners have escaped whilst in the custody of each private contractor in the justice system since May 2010;
	(2)  how many prisoners have escaped from the custody of (a) private security companies and (b) police forces while in transit since May 2010.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Prisoners

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to introduce a minimum time that prisoners must serve in a closed prison before being transferred to an open prison.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Prisoners: Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total amount earned was by prisoners who participated in purposeful activity in each of the last five years; what tax rate these earnings are subject to; what the eligibility criteria are for prisoners to receive bonus payments; and what the total amount issued to prisoners was in bonus payments in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service's central accounting system has a single accounting code for prisoners' earnings. It does not distinguish, for example, between prisoners' pay and other incentive payments. To separate out the amount earned by prisoners who participated in purposeful activity or the amount paid in specific incentive payments would require examining a high volume of local individual records from each establishment and this would incur disproportionate costs.
	The following table shows the total amount spent on prisoners' earnings over the last five years:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2007-08 32.5 
			 2008-09 34.3 
			 2009-10 35.4 
			 2010-11 35.4 
			 2011-12 36.6 
		
	
	When NOMS last conducted a survey of prisoner pay, in 2007, average prisoner pay was £9.60 per week. Work which prisoners undertake covers a range of tasks, such as cleaning within prisons. This reduces the need for external contractors to undertake the work at higher costs.
	It is in practice impossible for an offender working inside a prison to earn sufficient pay that would reach the usual tax thresholds. However, prisoners working inside prison under Prison Rules are not technically classed as employees and as such are not liable to tax, unlike prisoners on "working out" schemes who are eligible for tax on any earnings.
	Existing policy on Prisoners' Pay is set out in Prison Service Order 4460, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.

Prisoners: Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance is issued on the requisite level of (a) behaviour and (b) work that should be completed by prisoners in return for pay and privileges; and to what extent decisions on this matter are left to the discretion of prison officers.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisoners: Per Capita Costs

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the costs are of (a) meals, (b) monetary allowances, (c) fitness and entertainment facilities and (d) other housekeeping matters for each new prison placement.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been transferred under each of the UK's bilateral prisoner transfer agreements to date.

Jeremy Wright: The United Kingdom is a signatory to 28 bilateral prisoner transfer agreements. From 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2012, 65 prisoners were transferred to and from the United Kingdom and countries who are signatories to the bilateral prisoner transfer agreements
	In addition to the 28 bilateral prisoner transfer agreements, the United Kingdom is a signatory to three multilateral agreements, which are the Council of Europe convention on the transfer of sentenced persons, the scheme for the transfer of convicted offenders within the Commonwealth and the European Union prisoner transfer agreement. A further 697 prisoners have transferred under these arrangements between 2007 and 2012 under multilateral prisoner transfer agreements
	The number of prisoners transferred between 2007 and 2012 under the bilateral prisoner transfer agreements is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Year of transfer 
			 Country of transfer 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Albania — — — — — — 
			 Antigua and Barbuda — — — — — — 
			 Barbados — — — — — — 
			 Brazil — — 1 2 2 4 
			 Cuba — — — — — — 
			 Dominica — — — — — — 
			 Dominican — — — — — — 
			 Republic — — — — — — 
			 Egypt — — — — — — 
			 Ghana — — 3 4 2 — 
			 Guyana — — — — — — 
			 Hong Kong — 2 2 2 1 — 
			 India — 2 1 — 3 — 
			 Laos — — 1 1 — — 
			 Lesotho — — — — — — 
			 Libya — — — — — — 
			 Morocco — 1 1 — — — 
			 Nicaragua — — — — — — 
			 Pakistan — — — 4 — — 
			 Peru — — — — 1 — 
			 Rwanda — — — — — — 
			 St. Lucia — — — — — — 
			 Saudi Arabia — — — — — — 
			 Sri Lanka — — — — 1 — 
			 Suriname — — — — — — 
			 Thailand 4 1 4 4 7 3 
			 United Arab Emirates — — — — — — 
			 Uganda — — — — — — 
			 Vietnam — — — — 1 — 
		
	
	
		
			 Total 4 6 13 17 18 7 
		
	
	The figures given in the table relate to England and Wales only. The transfer of prisoners to Scotland and to Northern Ireland is a devolved matter, and is therefore the responsibility of the relevant Minister.
	The numbers reported here are drawn from a Prison Service case tracking system. Care is taken when processing these cases but the figures may subject to inaccuracies associated with any recording system.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to seek the deportation of convicted rapist Gintas Burinskas to Lithuania to serve his prison sentence.

Jeremy Wright: It is Government policy that foreign national prisoners should serve their sentences in prisons in their own country. We will seek to return Mr Burinskas to Lithuania at the earliest opportunity.

Prisons: Construction

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the budget is of the proposed new prison in either London, North West England or North Wales;
	(2)  when he will announce the timetable for building of a new prison in either London, North West England or North Wales.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice is currently undertaking feasibility work which will include an examination of operating and funding arrangements and determining in more detail the most appropriate location, role and size of a new prison. The cost of a new prison will be dependant on the outcome of this work.
	As the feasibility work is still underway no decision has yet been taken regarding the timetable for building a new prison.

Prisons: Television

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many televisions installed in prison cells are equipped with (a) digital channels and (b) satellite services; and what the cost to the public purse has been of such privileges in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Probation

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people worked for the probation service in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012.

Jeremy Wright: The number of full-time equivalent (fte) employees in post in the probation service on 31 December 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 are listed in the following table. It is worth noting that over the period 2009-11 the number of offenders supervised by the probation service decreased too.
	The figures provided in the table for 2009 to 2011 are based on different criteria to the figure provided for 2012 and are therefore not comparable. A new system for collecting probation workforce information was implemented in July 2012, which enabled improved reporting due to clarification on the funding arrangements of probation trust staff. Prior to July 2012 all probation staff were reported irrespective of whether they were funded by the probation trusts or not. Since July 2012 reported staffing levels have been based on staff that are employed and funded by the probation trusts only and for that reason will not be comparable with the figures provided for periods prior to July 2012.
	
		
			 Probation service staff in post (FTE) 
			 Probation service 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Staff in post (FTE)—all staff 19,902.30 19,066.75 18,330.14 — 
			 Staff in post (FTE)—funded — — — 16,524.88

Probation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many full-time equivalent (a) assistant chief officers, (b) administrative and clerical staff, (c) probation officers and (d) probation service officers were employed in the probation service in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13 to date;
	(2)  how many full-time equivalent (a) assistant chief officers, (b) administrative and clerical staff, (c) probation officers and (d) probation service officers are employed in each probation trust.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is provided in the following tables.
	All probation areas became probation trusts by l April 2010; this included a number of areas merging to become trusts. Separate tables have therefore been provided that show snap shots of staff in post before (2009-10) and after (2010-11 and 2011-12) the mergers. Surrey and Sussex submitted merged data one month before their merger; figures provided for them for 2009-10 are therefore merged.
	The figures provided in the tables for 2009-10 and 2010-11 to 2011-12 are based on different criteria to the figure provided in the table for 2012-13 and are therefore not comparable. A new system for collecting probation workforce information was implemented in July 2012, which enabled improved reporting due to clarification on the funding arrangements of probation trust staff. Prior to July 2012 all probation staff were reported irrespective of whether they were funded by the probation trusts or not. Since July 2012 reported staffing levels have been based on staff that are employed and funded by the probation trusts only and for that reason will not be comparable with the figures provided for periods prior to July 2012. A separate table has therefore also been provided for 2012-13, which provides the latest available data, at 31 December 2012.
	Operational changes mean that the staffing numbers reported do not necessarily reflect changes in capacity (eg staff transferring out of London Probation Trust due to the contracting out of community payback work during 2012-13). Although the figures are not comparable there has been an overall reduction in probation staff in post over the periods reported. During the period there has also been a fall in the probation case load.
	
		
			 Table 1—Probation staff in post 2009-10 (pre-area mergers) at 31 March(1, 2) 
			  2009-10 
			 Probation area Assistant chief officers Administrative and clerical staff Probation officers Probation services officers 
			 Avon and Somerset 7.90 122.30 163.30 152.30 
			 Bedfordshire 3.00 35.95 61.04 47.47 
			 Cambridgeshire 4.00 49.15 105.00 54.88 
			 Cheshire 6.80 80.41 111.49 108.99 
			 Cumbria 2.00 39.96 61.90 40.10 
			 Derbyshire 4.00 88.90 115.30 113.40 
			 Devon and Cornwall 4.00 92.52 179.57 87.19 
			 Dorset 2.90 49.20 70.60 74.00 
			 Durham 3.68 50.79 107.10 86.21 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0.00 43.09 43.90 44.62 
			 Essex 8.00 120.62 101.30 205.81 
			 Gloucestershire 3.85 53.02 52.11 32.40 
			 Greater Manchester 18.00 327.13 450.56 258.88 
			 Gwent 5.00 66.73 85.94 61.73 
			 Hampshire 0.00 129.54 196.68 172.44 
			 Hertfordshire 4.00 52.89 79.39 78.69 
			 Humberside 5.81 114.22 152.02 111.90 
			 Kent 5.00 102.05 141.72 101.29 
			 Lancashire 2.00 110.14 219.83 109.63 
			 Leicestershire 7.00 105.75 158.27 173.19 
			 Lincolnshire 4.00 51.41 64.88 66.55 
			 London 45.00 1058.09 1017.37 329.12 
			 Merseyside 8.00 179.76 265.51 192.55 
		
	
	
		
			 Norfolk 3.00 31.96 86.16 123.40 
			 North Wales 3.00 60.31 90.23 50.44 
			 North Yorkshire 4.00 43.19 72.15 39.71 
			 Northamptonshire 5.00 47.64 80.40 93.38 
			 Northumbria 13.00 128.09 241.03 179.34 
			 Nottinghamshire 5.00 139.57 174.27 108.48 
			 South Wales 3.00 130.33 161.79 160.04 
			 South Yorkshire 11.00 129.60 202.34 176.14 
			 Staffordshire 0.00 113.87 115.34 71.44 
			 Suffolk 4.75 34.66 85.29 67.63 
			 Surrey and Sussex (merged data) 8.80 143.20 211.51 100.73 
			 Teesside 4.00 60.83 122.99 81.60 
			 Thames Valley 6.00 156.93 210.73 214.41 
			 Warwickshire 6.00 29.57 61.05 44.33 
			 West Midlands 18.61 428.49 135.46 394.74 
			 West Mercia(2) 6.00 107.37 436.60 92.58 
			 West Yorkshire 8.00 291.02 341.30 287.72 
			 Wiltshire 3.49 43.35 53.01 40.07 
			 Total 266.59 5,243.60 6,886.43 5,029.52 
			 (1) The figures provided in the table above were collected from the probation trusts via the HR Data Warehouse, which was subject to the expected level of inaccuracy inherent in any large-scale administrative system. The HR Data Warehouse was decommissioned in June 2012. (2) West Mercia were unable to submit data during some months of 2009-10 due to local technical issues. The latest data they had submitted (at 30 November 2009) has therefore been included for West Mercia in the table above. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2—Probation service staff in post 2010-11 and 2011-12 (post-area mergers) at 31 March(1) 
			  Assistant chief officers Administrative and clerical staff Probation officers Probation services officers 
			 Probation trust 2010-11 2011-12 2010-11 2011-12 2010-11 2011-12 2010-11 2011-12 
			 Avon and Somerset 8.90 8.20 112.50 122.50 155.60 149.40 160.20 178.90 
			 Bedfordshire 5.00 5.00 35.37 45.15 55.55 56.36 48.89 44.91 
			 Cambridgeshire 4.60 5.00 48.88 44.20 109.86 98.08 54.61 50.60 
			 Cheshire 6.80 5.80 74.91 79.86 116.12 117.26 90.28 79.05 
			 Cumbria 2.00 3.00 40.55 40.38 57.90 52.00 37.30 41.31 
			 Derbyshire 4.00 5.00 73.20 81.32 109.30 109.48 113.50 101.43 
			 Devon and Cornwall 4.00 4.80 85.11 88.19 171.35 128.75 80.19 111.60 
			 Dorset 3.00 5.00 48.60 44.70 66.70 59.50 72.00 65.80 
			 Durham Tees Valley 8.37 8.46 95.89 95.20 219.30 213.87 163.28 162.28 
			 Essex 8.00 9.00 132.42 142.42 104.90 98.10 202.86 194.74 
			 Gloucestershire 1.85 1.85 42.43 42.85 48.53 46.96 28.55 26.85 
			 Greater Manchester 16.00 13.00 284.20 282.15 440.46 413.88 224.48 227.62 
			 Hampshire 0.00 0.00 117.51 115.17 188.41 186.45 164.49 163.70 
			 Hertfordshire 5.00 5.00 50.98 61.40 78.68 70.68 84.26 77.32 
			 Humberside 3.00 3.00 102.44 94.54 149.40 139.17 106.18 93.34 
			 Kent 4.40 5.40 104.19 104.77 138.48 140.51 103.02 139.53 
			 Lancashire 6.00 10.00 105.51 102.51 221.21 211.25 112.05 125.72 
			 Leicestershire 7.60 7.61 98.37 105.06 148.74 133.49 170.92 172.63 
			 Lincolnshire 5.00 5.01 50.21 46.41 68.63 58.92 63.49 60.87 
		
	
	
		
			 London 44.00 46.80 1061.94 1029.85 1006.01 979.44 367.24 299.53 
			 Merseyside 8.00 9.00 169.35 165.53 261.13 254.34 192.53 199.13 
			 Norfolk and Suffolk 6.75 6.00 97.69 106.22 169.51 171.87 149.24 141.65 
			 Northamptonshire 3.00 3.00 45.30 46.04 86.16 85.01 90.39 92.59 
			 Northumbria 11.91 9.92 134.63 131.36 228.33 219.88 168.19 171.73 
			 Nottinghamshire 6.03 5.00 122.54 122.69 168.23 153.29 115.91 110.19 
			 South Yorkshire 11.99 9.80 73.10 72.62 248.26 233.04 171.46 166.05 
			 Staffordshire and West Midlands 18.11 18.22 530.39 492.99 561.00 536.11 470.09 442.76 
			 Surrey and Sussex 7.30 8.00 146.92 162.35 202.35 198.75 100.00 111.60 
			 Thames Valley 5.00 5.00 148.03 156.18 207.98 201.49 199.96 201.96 
			 Wales 13.00 12.41 268.64 266.57 369.16 357.29 304.74 252.05 
			 Warwickshire 4.00 3.00 32.58 32.62 59.52 51.11 41.46 40.95 
			 West Mercia 4.00 5.00 95.82 90.30 118.97 109.10 93.39 80.37 
			 West Yorkshire 7.00 4.44 316.82 292.16 326.67 310.04 306.50 270.00 
			 Wiltshire 3.49 3.29 47.82 47.43 52.45 51.35 27.06 29.45 
			 York and North Yorkshire 4.00 5.00 55.70 49.36 79.65 73.84 59.13 57.38 
			 Total 261.10 264.01 5,050.54 5,003.05 6,794.50 6,470.06 4,937.84 4,785.59 
			 (1) The figures provided in the table above were collected from the probation trusts via the HR Data Warehouse, which was subject to the expected level of inaccuracy inherent in any large-scale administrative system. The HR Data Warehouse was decommissioned in June 2012. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3—Probation service staff in post 2012-13 (funded staff only) at 31 December(1) 
			  2012-13 
			 Probation trust Assistant chief officers Administrative and clerical staff Probation officers Probation services officers 
			 Avon and Somerset 7.90 118.00 135.30 171.00 
			 Bedfordshire 5.00 40.37 60.86 48.91 
			 Cambridgeshire 4.00 50.82 62.72 64.51 
			 Cheshire 5.80 78.03 91.10 95.44 
			 Cumbria 3.00 28.95 51.21 41.92 
			 Derbyshire 4.00 82.20 94.80 100.00 
			 Devon and Cornwall 5.80 115.46 130.93 74.98 
			 Dorset 3.00 71.07 45.44 36.68 
			 Durham Tees Valley 8.46 93.89 185.07 123.76 
			 Essex 8.00 129.60 88.30 192.10 
			 Gloucestershire 0.86 48.00 43.96 24.17 
			 Greater Manchester 13.00 245.65 373.64 251.53 
			 Hampshire 5.60 123.68 172.39 154.72 
			 Hertfordshire 4.00 51.57 65.08 87.82 
			 Humberside 3.61 110.70 122.72 80.95 
			 Kent 0.00 102.39 125.63 126.79 
			 Lancashire 3.00 114.37 195.10 158.23 
			 Leicestershire 5.60 95.35 119.69 102.75 
			 Lincolnshire 4.00 53.72 48.31 61.63 
			 London 43.00 397.16 839.82 301.48 
			 Merseyside 9.00 145.95 224.38 184.65 
			 Norfolk & Suffolk 6.00 111.97 132.14 120.33 
			 Northamptonshire 3.00 40.57 55.23 32.92 
			 Northumbria 10.00 141.03 211.66 157.19 
			 Nottinghamshire 4.00 119.35 111.04 86.14 
			 South Yorkshire 8.80 131.88 181.88 138.34 
			 Staffordshire and West Midlands 21.22 461.00 491.96 425.08 
			 Surrey and Sussex 7.60 147.53 181.26 145.44 
			 Thames Valley 5.00 116.39 172.99 172.15 
			 Wales 14.00 273.91 319.56 284.83 
			 Warwickshire 2.00 32.84 43.31 35.97 
			 West Mercia 7.00 24.76 99.41 85.61 
			 West Yorkshire 5.00 297.69 284.44 281.92 
			 Wiltshire 3.48 45.38 39.75 28.64 
			 York and North Yorkshire 0.00 55.82 73.09 52.01 
			 Total 243.73 4,297.05 5,674.17 4,530.59 
			 (1) The figures provided in the table above were collected from the probation trusts via the NOMS Performance Hub, which is subject to the expected level of inaccuracy inherent in any large-scale administrative system.

Probation

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will allow probation trusts to tender for probation work in the next three years.

Jeremy Wright: We remain committed to facilitating an open competition which allows a range of bidders to take part in the new probation services market.
	As set out in our consultation document ‘Transforming Rehabilitation—a revolution in the way we manage offenders’, it remains open for probation staff to put together proposals for potential mutuals and other alternative delivery vehicles to bid to deliver probation services as part of future competitions.
	Under our proposals we will only contract with entities capable of bearing the financial and operational risks associated with payment by results and delivering offender services in the community. Therefore, public sector entities will not be able to bid, as they will not be able to carry the financial risk. Instead staff groups within trusts can work on proposals for alternative delivery vehicles and mutuals. The Cabinet Office's Mutual Support Programme is available to support probation staff to explore their options.
	The Ministry of Justice's consultation on plans for reforming the way in which offenders are rehabilitated in the community closed on 22 February. We will respond to the consultation and bring forward detailed plans in due course.

Probation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, columns 952-4W, on probation, how many offenders who failed to complete an accredited programme were subsequently (a) placed on an alternative programme, (b) ordered to retake the programme and (c) did not have to undertake any further accredited programmes.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Probation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, columns 952-4W, on probation, what the title is of each accredited programme; and who the programme providers are.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Probation: ICT

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on installing the nDelius system to date; and how much it still expects to spend on the system.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. member in due course.

Probation: ICT

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department undertook a risk assessment on the installation of the nDelius system.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the right hon. Member in due course.

Probation: Negligence

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times each probation trust has been sued for negligence in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will publish details of all (a) his Department's and (b) its non-departmental public bodies' existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Prosecutions

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were prosecuted for category (a) 21, (b) 22, (c) 23, (d) 71, (e) 73, (f) 74, (g) 88A, (h) 88B, (i) 88C, (j) 88D and (k) 88E offences; how many people were found guilty of such offences; and what sentences were handed down for each offence in each of the last three years.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Public Expenditure

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice by how much his Department has exceeded its annual budget in each of the last three years.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Public Interest Lawyers

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2013, Official Report, column 349W, on public interest lawyers, how much of the legal aid payments made to public interest lawyers by the Legal Services Commission related to cases involving claims against the Government by Iraqi citizens; and how much has been paid to the law firm Leigh Day in respect of claims made against the Government by that firm on behalf of Iraqi citizens.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency (former Legal Services Commission) does not record the nationality of legal aid claimants, and so cannot provide the costs incurred on these cases.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Ranby Prison

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many managers at Ranby prison have received a conviction for firearms offences whilst working at the prison in the last five years; and whether each such manager is still employed by the Prison Service in any establishment.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Rape: Victim Support Schemes

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on support services for victims of rape in each year since May 2005.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Recruitment

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on advertising job vacancies in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007, (d) 2008 and (e) 2009.

Helen Grant: Spend data for the Ministry of Justice is not available prior to financial year 2009-10.
	Spend on recruitment advertising has fallen significantly since May 2010. The amounts are:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 1,003,523 
			 2010-11 (1)545,642 
			 2011-12 258,235 
			 2012-13 109,327 
			 (1) Only £272,432 since May 2010.

Redundancy Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials in (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible received payments under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last five years; and at what total cost in each such year.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

Reoffenders

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders who were removed from multi-agency protection arrangements to standard probation supervision subsequently committed an offence in each of the last five years; and what the offence was in each case.

Jeremy Wright: Offenders who are subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) automatically by virtue of the specified sexual and violent offences of which they have been convicted are subject to MAPPA management for at least the duration of their sentence. They cannot be removed from MAPPA onto standard probation supervision.
	There are other offenders who are managed under MAPPA on account of risk, but have not been convicted of specified sexual or violent offences (MAPPA Category 3 offenders). As at 31 March 2012, there were 412 Category 3 offenders out of a total of 55,002 offenders managed under MAPPA. They may be removed from MAPPA management where MAPPA agencies agree that the risk may be managed by means of standard probation supervision. For these particular offenders, no statistics are collected on serious further offending which would identify any previous MAPPA supervision.
	Under the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms, MAPPA will continue to operate for the assessment and management of known serious offenders and we intend that all those offenders subject to MAPPA will be managed by the public sector probation service.

Reoffenders

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many offences in each probation trust area were committed by people who originally received sentences for (a) murder, (b) rape, (c) violence against a person, (d) burglary, (e) sexual offence against a minor, (f) theft and (g) criminal damage to property in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11;
	(2)  how many offences were committed by people in each probation trust on licence for (a) murder, (b) rape, (c) violence against a person, (d) burglary, (e) sexual offence against a minor, (f) criminal damage to property and (g) kidnap in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

Jeremy Wright: It is not possible to accurately count the number of offences committed by offenders who have previously been convicted of different types of offence as not all offences are reported to the police and result in an offender being sanctioned.
	The figures in Table 1 as follows therefore present the numbers of cautions or convictions given to these offenders for offences committed in each probation trust area over 2009-10 and 2010-11.
	Please note offence class as presented in the table is the offence the offenders have previously been convicted of and not their present offence. It is not possible to split 'criminal damage' to show 'criminal damage to property' separately, so data for the whole 'criminal damage' offence class is provided.
	It is not possible to provide the equivalent information to Table 1 showing only those offences committed while the offender was on licence. However we do have information on proven reoffending in the 12 months following release for those released from custody on licence.
	Table 2 as follows shows, for each probation trust, the number of proven reoffences committed during a one year follow up period by adult offenders who were released on licence from custodial sentences for the requested offences in 2009 and 2010. Prior to 2010-11, figures are only available by calendar year so in order to make a direct comparison, figures for 2009 and 2010 have been provided. Not all offenders are supervised by probation for 12 months following release from custody and therefore not all reoffences in Table 2 occurred while under probation supervision.
	A proven reoffence is defined as any offence committed in a one year follow-up period and receiving a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow-up. Following this one year period, a further six month waiting period is allowed for cases to progress through the courts.
	It is not possible to split “criminal damage” to show “criminal damage to property” so the whole 'criminal damage' offence class is provided.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of cautions or convictions given to offenders who had previously committed an offence (offence class) by probation trust areas in England and Wales, 2009-10 and 2010-11 
			 Probation trust area Offence class (previous) 2009-10(1) 2010-11(1) 
			 Avon and Somerset Probation Trust Burglary 6,011 5,821 
			  Criminal damage 9,694 9,627 
			  Murder 11 10 
			  Rape 82 84 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 338 282 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 16,796 16,827 
			  Violence against the person 10,907 10,632 
			     
			 Bedfordshire Probation Trust Burglary 1,957 1,668 
			  Criminal damage 2,691 2,391 
			  Murder 1 3 
			  Rape 38 69 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 77 71 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 5,881 5,295 
			  Violence against the person 3,505 3,279 
			     
			 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Probation Trust Burglary 3,369 3,000 
			  Criminal damage 3,495 3,144 
			  Murder  18 
			  Rape 35 27 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 126 176 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 9,304 8,135 
			  Violence against the person 5,748 5,089 
			     
			 Cheshire Probation Trust Burglary 3,816 3,650 
		
	
	
		
			  Criminal damage 4,983 4,651 
			  Murder  6 
			  Rape 63 43 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 168 190 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 10,452 9,698 
			  Violence against the person 7,352 6,600 
			     
			 Cumbria Probation Trust Burglary 2,360 2,279 
			  Criminal damage 3,366 3,193 
			  Murder 1  
			  Rape 16 19 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 118 103 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 6,744 6,131 
			  Violence against the person 4,528 4,102 
			     
			 Derbyshire Probation Trust Burglary 3,379 3,255 
			  Criminal damage 6,016 5,926 
			  Murder 3 7 
			  Rape 55 100 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 196 236 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 9,617 9,485 
			  Violence against the person 6,595 6,218 
			     
			 Devon and Cornwall Probation Trust Burglary 4,615 4,806 
			  Criminal damage 5,511 5,601 
			  Murder 11 1 
			  Rape 70 61 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 249 264 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 14,973 14,796 
			  Violence against the person 8,973 9,043 
			     
			 Dorset Probation Trust Burglary 2,481 2,261 
			  Criminal damage 3,509 3,079 
			  Murder  7 
			  Rape 20 33 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 105 121 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 7,726 6,938 
			  Violence against the person 4,483 3,881 
			     
			 Durham Tees Valley Probation Trust Burglary 9,927 9,421 
			  Criminal damage 12,742 11,708 
			  Murder 2 7 
			  Rape 133 106 
		
	
	
		
			  Sexual offence against a minor 342 423 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 22,552 21,300 
			  Violence against the person 15,241 13,862 
			     
			 Essex Probation Burglary 4,600 4,191 
			  Criminal damage 5,538 4,985 
			  Murder 5 4 
			  Rape 54 52 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 230 174 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 16,932 14,952 
			  Violence against the person 10,227 9,020 
			     
			 Gloucestershire Probation Trust Burglary 2,081 1,572 
			  Criminal damage 2,739 2,083 
			  Murder 1 1 
			  Rape 15 13 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 119 113 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 6,029 4,563 
			  Violence against the person 3,950 2,971 
			     
			 Greater Manchester Probation Trust Burglary 14,901 14,563 
			  Criminal damage 11,097 11,030 
			  Murder 5 5 
			  Rape 283 275 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 559 693 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 37,433 36,065 
			  Violence against the person 26,723 25,604 
			     
			 Hampshire Probation Trust Burglary 6,999 6,200 
			  Criminal damage 10,515 9,595 
			  Murder  1 
			  Rape 157 97 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 481 458 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 23,668 21,275 
			  Violence against the person 14,253 13,101 
			     
			 Hertfordshire Probation Trust Burglary 2,663 2,469 
			  Criminal damage 4,561 4,060 
			  Murder 1 1 
			  Rape 31 28 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 105 112 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 9,930 9,192 
		
	
	
		
			  Violence against the person 6,253 5,786 
			     
			 Humberside Probation Trust Burglary 5,098 4,985 
			  Criminal damage 6,751 6,319 
			  Murder 6 5 
			  Rape 65 81 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 302 271 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 13,322 12,313 
			  Violence against the person 9,084 8,370 
			     
			 Kent Probation Burglary 5,025 4,475 
			  Criminal damage 6,790 5,750 
			  Murder 5 5 
			  Rape 101 69 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 363 309 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 16,774 14,664 
			  Violence against the person 10,475 9,076 
			     
			 Lancashire Probation Trust Burglary 10,725 9,599 
			  Criminal damage 9,131 7,993 
			  Murder  5 
			  Rape 135 143 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 388 450 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 24,912 21,834 
			  Violence against the person 17,100 14,592 
			     
			 Leicestershire Rutland Probation Trust Burglary 3,168 3,055 
			  Criminal damage 3,630 3,570 
			  Murder  2 
			  Rape 37 46 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 116 148 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 8,972 8,770 
			  Violence against the person 5,877 5,527 
			     
			 Lincolnshire Probation Trust Burglary 2,300 2,042 
			  Criminal damage 2,954 2,448 
			  Murder 3 3 
			  Rape 36 42 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 179 177 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 6,932 5,936 
			  Violence against the person 4,221 3,670 
			     
		
	
	
		
			 London Probation Trust Burglary 21,617 20,290 
			  Criminal damage 28,825 26,851 
			  Murder 16 35 
			  Rape 591 522 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 859 788 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 76,726 70,447 
			  Violence against the person 51,073 47,500 
			     
			 Merseyside Probation Trust Burglary 6,919 6,256 
			  Criminal damage 7,866 7,208 
			  Murder 4  
			  Rape 84 77 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 190 253 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 20,658 18,743 
			  Violence against the person 13,839 12,351 
			     
			 Norfolk and Suffolk Probation Trust Burglary 5,201 4,898 
			  Criminal damage 8,466 8,062 
			  Murder 8 5 
			  Rape 85 64 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 275 294 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 15,725 15,107 
			  Violence against the person 9,493 9,241 
			     
			 Northamptonshire Probation Trust Burglary 2,243 2,114 
			  Criminal damage 3,851 3,819 
			  Murder 5  
			  Rape 57 36 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 106 77 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 6,536 6,184 
			  Violence against the person 4,567 4,183 
			     
			 Northumbria Probation Trust Burglary 9,082 8,302 
			  Criminal damage 13,213 11,679 
			  Murder  1 
			  Rape 123 97 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 412 514 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 26,053 23,709 
			  Violence against the person 17,154 15,501 
			     
			 Nottinghamshire Probation Trust Burglary 6,147 6,197 
			  Criminal damage 8,885 8,727 
		
	
	
		
			  Murder 2 8 
			  Rape 84 92 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 335 309 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 15,097 14,876 
			  Violence against the person 9,904 9,758 
			     
			 South Yorkshire Probation Trust Burglary 6,753 5,804 
			  Criminal damage 7,867 6,943 
			  Murder 6 3 
			  Rape 74 102 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 327 338 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 16,624 14,633 
			  Violence against the person 11,200 9,885 
			     
			 Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust Burglary 15,369 13,437 
			  Criminal damage 15,866 13,291 
			  Murder 15 17 
			  Rape 328 239 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 745 623 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 43,059 35,995 
			  Violence against the person 30,815 25,265 
			     
			 Surrey and Sussex Probation Trust Burglary 6,735 6,083 
			  Criminal damage 9,842 8,635 
			  Murder 3 11 
			  Rape 74 82 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 350 386 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 23,331 20,971 
			  Violence against the person 14,207 12,692 
			     
			 Thames Valley Probation Burglary 6,190 6,097 
			  Criminal damage 7,276 7,082 
			  Murder 13 6 
			  Rape 51 72 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 232 284 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 18,897 18,533 
			  Violence against the person 10,868 10,723 
			     
			 Warwickshire Probation Trust Burglary 1,889 1,367 
			  Criminal damage 2,332 1,805 
			  Murder 3  
			  Rape 15 16 
		
	
	
		
			  Sexual offence against a minor 138 76 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 5,146 3,645 
			  Violence against the person 3,503 2,524 
			     
			 West Mercia Probation Trust Burglary 3,842 3,537 
			  Criminal damage 4,021 3,722 
			  Murder 5 2 
			  Rape 65 27 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 236 184 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 11,644 10,650 
			  Violence against the person 7,552 7,066 
			     
			 West Yorkshire Probation Trust Burglary 12,585 12,202 
			  Criminal damage 11,220 10,573 
			  Murder 8 11 
			  Rape 234 240 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 588 552 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 31,131 28,448 
			  Violence against the person 19,866 18,210 
			     
			 Wales Probation Trust Burglary 14,925 14,613 
			  Criminal damage 24,669 23,428 
		
	
	
		
			  Murder 4 17 
			  Rape 249 176 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 685 664 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 40,156 38,134 
			  Violence against the person 26,976 25,547 
			 Wiltshire Probation Trust Burglary 1,574 1,740 
			  Criminal damage 2,469 2,345 
			  Murder 11 1 
			  Rape 31 18 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 59 58 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 5,351 5,093 
			  Violence against the person 3,164 3,163 
			 York and North Yorkshire Probation Trust Burglary 2,725 2,480 
			  Criminal damage 4,160 3,916 
			  Murder 1 4 
			  Rape 38 44 
			  Sexual offence against a minor 130 92 
			  Theft and handling stolen goods 8,736 8,195 
			  Violence against the person 5,092 4,719 
			 (1 )April-March Source: Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Number of reoffences (any offence) by adult offenders released from prison on licence by probation trust and specified index offence (ie the offence they were in prison for), 2009 and 2010, England and Wales 
			  2009 
			  Murder Rape Violence against the person Burglary Sexual assault on a minor Criminal damage Kidnapping 
			 Avon and Somerset * 0 84 213 3 7 2 
			 Bedfordshire * * 49 178 0 14 * 
			 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough * 0 69 82 3 * * 
			 Cheshire * 3 101 135 4 4 * 
			 Cumbria * 0 70 71 0 6 — 
			 Derbyshire * 0 91 116 6 29 * 
			 Devon and Cornwall — 2 128 125 3 0 — 
			 Dorset — 0 61 67 0 13 * 
			 Durham Tees Valley * 6 175 346 6 34 6 
			 Essex — 0 172 141 0 0 * 
			 Gloucestershire — * 53 33 1 19 * 
			 Greater Manchester * 2 371 654 4 11 10 
			 Hampshire * 0 187 203 5 22 * 
			 Hertfordshire — 3 59 82 0 5 * 
			 Humberside — 2 174 258 5 17 3 
			 Kent * 0 71 191 5 11 * 
			 Lancashire * 7 234 278 6 11 * 
			 Leicestershire — 0 108 109 7 * * 
			 Lincolnshire * 0 70 67 0 * — 
			 London 2 10 603 980 8 22 15 
		
	
	
		
			 Merseyside * 0 138 227 3 26 6 
			 Norfolk and Suffolk * 0 107 171 5 5 * 
			 Northamptonshire — 0 66 116 3 13 6 
			 Northumbria * 1 212 314 4 56 * 
			 Nottinghamshire — 1 108 299 1 1 * 
			 South Yorkshire * 3 170 256 1 10 3 
			 Staffordshire and West Midlands 0 5 424 601 12 20 9 
			 Surrey and Sussex * 0 240 142 2 5 * 
			 Thames Valley * 1 96 213 7 0 6 
			 Wales * 0 496 727 18 38 7 
			 Warwickshire — * 46 91 0 0 * 
			 West Mercia — 0 86 90 0 1 * 
			 West Yorkshire * 6 179 517 8 27 5 
			 Wiltshire — * 22 75 0 * * 
			 York and North Yorkshire * 3 46 92 3 16 * 
			 Unknown area — * 23 55 * — * 
		
	
	
		
			  2010 
			  Murder Rape Violence against the person Burglary Sexual assault on a minor Criminal damage Kidnapping 
			 Avon and Somerset 0 0 126 190 6 * * 
			 Bedfordshire — * 31 83 0 * * 
			 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough — * 38 124 0 * — 
			 Cheshire — 0 98 99 1 4 * 
			 Cumbria — * 59 31 0 * * 
			 Derbyshire — 2 68 115 4 0 * 
			 Devon and Cornwall * 0 77 131 6 15 * 
			 Dorset * 0 40 72 0 14 * 
			 Durham Tees Valley 0 1 170 345 8 11 * 
			 Essex * 1 69 132 1 8 * 
			 Gloucestershire — * 44 47 0 11 * 
			 Greater Manchester * 11 313 571 4 3 1 
			 Hampshire * 0 125 264 3 22 * 
			 Hertfordshire * * 54 90 * 0 * 
			 Humberside 0 3 166 295 7 22 * 
			 Kent 0 1 82 162 0 4 * 
			 Lancashire — 4 189 201 3 5 * 
			 Leicestershire * 0 58 119 0 5 3 
			 Lincolnshire * * 31 64 0 * — 
			 London 3 10 390 689 6 37 22 
			 Merseyside * 0 175 272 3 29 * 
			 Norfolk and Suffolk * * 62 143 0 6 * 
			 Northamptonshire * 0 50 73 0 * 2 
			 Northumbria 0 0 232 251 1 33 — 
			 Nottinghamshire — 2 60 290 0 18 3 
			 South Yorkshire — 8 88 220 19 11 * 
			 Staffordshire and West Midlands * 3 365 506 6 5 3 
			 Surrey and Sussex * 0 167 149 4 10 0 
			 Thames Valley * 0 152 233 1 6 0 
			 Wales 0 3 383 853 26 48 6 
			 Warwickshire — * 28 54 * 5 — 
			 West Mercia * * 96 57 1 7 — 
			 West Yorkshire * 8 190 425 7 21 * 
			 Wiltshire * * 23 48 6 — — 
		
	
	
		
			 York and North Yorkshire — 0 76 93 0 9 * 
			 Unknown area * * 12 51 * — * 
			 ‘*’ = Number of reoffences based on less than five offenders are suppressed for disclosure reasons. ‘—’ = No offenders having this offence

Reparation by Offenders

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the mental and emotional needs of victims engaging in the restorative justice process.

Helen Grant: Research by the Ministry of Justice of a number of Restorative Justice (RJ) pilots(1) shows that RJ has the potential to be associated with high levels of victim satisfaction. This is particularly so for the face to face conferencing method of RJ, which was associated with 85% overall victim satisfaction.
	The Restorative Justice Council's Best Practice guidance for restorative practice sets out the need for RJ facilitators to undertake an assessment that should identify the risk of emotional and physical harm to participants, what value they see in the process and their willingness to engage respectfully; and to promote opportunities for a safe dialogue and exchange between participants.
	We are therefore working with the RJC to make sure there are minimum standards in place for restorative practice to safeguard the needs of victims.
	(1) Shapland. J., Robinson. G. and Sorsby A. (2011) ‘Restorative justice in practice’. London: Routledge.

Reparation by Offenders

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the level of support provided to victims engaging in the restorative justice process; and what future plans he has for that support.

Chris Grayling: In Shapland et al (2007)(1) victims (and offenders) were asked various questions about their experiences of Restorative Justice (RJ), including before, during and after the experience. Overall, the findings were positive. The results reveal several important areas that help ensure that the victim's experience is positive including the skills of the facilitator.
	(1) Shapland, J et al (2007) Restorative Justice: the views of victims. The third report from the evaluation of three schemes.
	The report can be found at the following address:
	http://www.restorativejustice.org.uk/assets/_ugc/fetch.php?file=9vn2_restorative_justice_the_views_of_victims.pdf
	To make sure there are appropriately skilled RJ facilitators in the future and that victims receive a high quality service we have provided the RJC with funding to develop a new national quality mark for agencies delivering restorative justice in the Criminal Justice System. The quality mark will be available only to those agencies and services who can demonstrate they meet the required minimum standards.
	The Government published its Restorative Justice Action Plan for the Criminal Justice System on 19 November 2012. This sets out our actions for increasing the use of restorative justice and maintaining standards of service.

Reparation by Offenders

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on restorative justice in each year since 2005; and how much of this was spent on ensuring access to (a) specialists and advice for offenders and (b) specialists and advice for victims.

Jeremy Wright: Restorative justice is used in both the youth and adult criminal justice system, with restorative techniques being used for victims and offenders by the police, probation and prison services. Within local communities there is an increasing use of restorative justice approaches by Neighbourhood Justice Panels and voluntary sector organisations.
	Our focus to date has been on building the capability within the CJS to deliver restorative justice. In November 2011 NOMS awarded grant funding totalling £1.17 million (including £500,000 joint funding from The Monument Trust) to Restorative Solutions and Thames Valley Partnership to develop the capacity and capability of prisons and probation trusts to deliver victim-offender restorative justice conferencing. This programme runs to September 2014. In 2012 the Youth Justice Board made available the restorative justice training grant. This comprised a grant of £4,000 to each of the 158 youth offending teams across England and Wales, a total of £632,000.
	It is not possible to provide the more detailed information requested as central records are not kept on expenditure by each individual criminal justice agency on delivery of restorative justice.

Reparation by Offenders

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure that those agencies and organisations facilitating the restorative justice process provide the best quality service and are properly regulated and assessed.

Jeremy Wright: This Government is committed to encouraging greater use of restorative justice; in doing so, we want to allow local areas to innovate and drive the development of restorative justice in a way that suits local needs while at the same time, making sure that good practice and minimum standards are applied consistently across England and Wales.
	The Restorative Justice Council (RJC) provides quality assurance for the public through their work on best practice, standards and accreditation. We have therefore asked the RJC to develop a new national quality mark for agencies delivering restorative justice in the criminal justice system. The quality mark will be available only to those agencies and services who can demonstrate they meet the required minimum standards.
	The Government published its Restorative Justice Action Plan for the Criminal Justice System on 19 November 2012. This sets out our actions for increasing the use of restorative justice and maintaining standards of service.

Repossession Orders

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court orders have been issued for the repossession of homes in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the north-east and (d) the UK in each of the last five years.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Scotland

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what (a) external organisations and (b) individuals his Department engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at such consultations;
	(2)  how many members of his Department's staff have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of this work;
	(3)  what meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland Analysis programme; and what was discussed at each such meeting;
	(4)  what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme; which consultants were used; and how much such consultancy has cost.

Helen Grant: Work on the Scotland Analysis programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. As the programme largely relates to reserved areas of policy, the Ministry of Justice is not actively involved in the analysis. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice has not undertaken engagement, allocated staff, met with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West (Mr Darling) or commissioned external consultants on this matter.

Sexual Offences Act 2003

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many convictions there have been for offences under section (a) 57, (b) 58 and (c) 59 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, by types of offence, in each year since 1 May 2004;
	(2)  how many (a) prosecutions of offences and (b) convictions for offences under section (i) 57, (ii) 58 and (iii) 59 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 there have been in circumstances where the victim was aged under 18, by (A) type of offence and (B) age of victim in each year since 1 May 2004.

Jeremy Wright: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and offenders found guilty at all courts of offences under sections 57 to 59 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, in England and Wales, from 2004 to 2011 (latest available), can be viewed in the table.
	Information held centrally by the Ministry of Justice on the Court Proceedings Database does not include the circumstances behind each case beyond the description provided in the statute. The age of the victim cannot be separately identified unless specified within the statute.
	Human trafficking is abhorrent and the UK Government is committed to combating this crime in all its forms. We have already made significant progress in the fight against trafficking but the Government is not complacent and we will continue to work to improve and strengthen our approach to keep pace with emerging threats. The National Crime Agency will build on existing work to combat trafficking by using its enhanced crime fighting and intelligence capabilities to target criminal gangs. During the past two years, thousands of front-line professionals, including border staff, police and healthcare staff, have been trained to better identify, support and protect vulnerable individuals who may be suffering abuse at the hands of traffickers.
	
		
			 Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and offenders found guilty at all courts of offences under sections 57 to 59 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, England and Wales, 2004-11(1,2,3) 
			 Offence description Outcome 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008+ 2009 2010 2011 
			 Trafficking into the UK for sexual exploitation(5) Proceeded against 5 10 19 7 20 20 8 6 
			  Found guilty — 9 6 9 11 15 3 3 
			           
			 Trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation(6) Proceeded against — 16 21 18 33 13 16 3 
			  Found guilty — 3 9 5 13 8 7 5 
			           
			 Trafficking out of the UK for sexual exploitation(7) Proceeded against — — — — — — — — 
			  Found guilty — — — 1 — — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 ‘—’ = Nil (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The number of defendants found guilty in a particular year may exceed the number proceeded against as the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in an earlier year and the defendants were found guilty at the Crown court in the following year; or the defendants were found guilty of a different offence to that for which they were originally proceeded against. (4) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July and August 2008. (5) An offence under s.57 Sexual Offence Act 2003. (6) An offence under s.58 Sexual Offence Act 2003. (7) An offence under s.59 Sexual Offence Act 2003. Source: Ministry of Justice—Justice Statistics Analytical Services

Sexual Offences: Rehabilitation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2013, Official Report, columns 952-4W, on probation, how many sex offender treatment programmes were undertaken by participants in each probation trust area in each of the last five years; how many such programmes offenders (a) completed and (b) failed to complete; what the costs were of those programmes; and how many offenders returned to custody for failing to complete those programmes.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Sexual Offences: Rehabilitation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many sex offenders (a) completed and (b) failed to complete accredited treatment programmes; and how many such offenders have subsequently been convicted of (i) a further sex offence and (ii) another serious offence in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

Telephone Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2013, Official Report, column 840, on telephone services, what his timetable is for greater use of 0300 numbers by his Department.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Victim Support Schemes

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what funding his Department has allocated to victims' services, excluding compensation and legal aid, in 2013-14.

Jeremy Wright: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Victim Support Schemes

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of (a) victims of fraud, homicide and sexual violence and (b) other people offered referral to victims' services decline to use those services.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Witnesses: Protection

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of people who have requested witness protection and anonymity have been provided that service by the Crown Prosecution Service in the last five years.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the overall policy on witnesses.
	Local police forces are currently responsible for the protection of protected persons, including witnesses. Applications for protected persons status usually come from police investigators, who have an overview of all the facts including the circumstances of the case and the threat involved, rather than from individuals seeking protection. The police do not centrally collate information on the number of requests for protection.
	Similarly, the Crown Prosecution Service, which is responsible for applications for witness anonymity, does not keep central records on the number of requests or success rates.

Young Offender Institutions: Training

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many young offenders institutions offer mixed martial arts training or similar activities as part of the training curriculum;
	(2)  whether mixed martial arts training or similar is part of the training curriculum for offenders at HM Young Offenders Institution Brinsford;
	(3)  what the average period of time per week is that mixed martial arts or similar training is available to inmates at young offenders' institutions;
	(4)  what the estimated cost to the public purse was of providing mixed martial arts or similar training in young offenders institutions in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS), which is responsible for prison and probation services, is aware of the importance that PE can make on the overall health and welfare of all prisoners especially young offenders and the role sport can play in supporting self-discipline programmes.
	Prison Service Instruction (PSI) 58/2011 Physical Education for Prisoners sets out the policy for physical education (PE) in prisons and young offender institutions in England and Wales. The PSI states that establishments must not deliver any supervision, training or instruction to prisoners in combat sports such as boxing, boxercise, martial arts or any similar activity. In line with this instruction, Brinsford young offender institution does not offer training in martial arts to its prisoners as part of its delivery of PE.

Young Offenders

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure that young offenders on release have suitable accommodation made available.

Jeremy Wright: Youth offending teams advise and assist young offenders to find suitable accommodation on release, where necessary securing the involvement of the local Children's Services and/or the housing authority who have statutory responsibilities in respect of young people with accommodation needs. The Youth Justice Board have established and supported regional resettlement consortia to promote closer working between youth offending teams, custodial establishments and their partners to improve resettlement outcomes, and evaluations of this consortia model have shown that one of the benefits is improved accommodation outcomes for young people leaving custody. The Youth Justice Board have also been working to develop and disseminate good practice in this area, and will shortly be publishing a set of resources on the Ministry of Justice website to support practitioners in helping young people access appropriate accommodation on release.

Youth Custody

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on youth custodial sentences.

Jeremy Wright: We regularly have a range of conversations with the devolved Governments on youth justice matters.
	Youth justice is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland. However, the Secretary of State for Justice had an introductory meeting with David Ford, the Northern Ireland Justice Minister on 6 February 2013 in Belfast, at which they discussed a range of matters in relation to justice policy.
	My officials are presently having discussions with officials from the Welsh Government on our plans to reform youth custody across England and Wales, as set out in our consultation paper, “Transforming Youth Custody: Putting education at the heart of detention”.

Youth Custody: Standards

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what grade was received by each (a) secure children's home, (b) secure training centre and (c) young offenders' institution following their latest Ofsted inspection of the establishment.

Jeremy Wright: The information is as follows:
	(a) The “overall effectiveness rating” provided by Ofsted for each Secure Children's Home is as follows:
	Aldine—Good
	Aycliffe—Good
	Barton Moss—Outstanding
	Clayfields—Good
	East Moor—Good
	Hillside—N/a (Ofsted does not apply to Wales)
	Lincolnshire—Good
	Red Bank—Good
	Swanwick Lodge—Adequate
	Vinney Green—Good
	(b) The “overall effectiveness rating” provided by Ofsted for each Secure Training Centre is as follows:
	Hassockfield—Good
	Medway—Good
	Oakhill—Outstanding
	Rainsbrook—Good
	(c) Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) has the statutory responsibility for inspecting young people's young offenders institutions (YOIs). Ofsted are invited to inspect the education provision in each YOI, as part of these inspections. Until recently no formal rating was provided against the Ofsted grading system; instead Ofsted's views contributed to the overall HMIP judgments on the young people's YOI and outcomes for young people.
	HMIP reports now include Ofsted ratings against three key education factors. The latest published report for HMYOI Werrington includes ratings against these factors as follows:
	Achievement of young people in learning, skills and work (satisfactory),
	Quality of learning, skills and work provision (inadequate); and
	Leadership and management of learning, skills and work (inadequate).
	This format will be utilised for all forthcoming full reports. The latest published HMIP reports for each YOI are available on the Ministry of Justice website.

Youth Custody: Transport

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on secure and custodial transport for young people in each year since May 2005.

Jeremy Wright: Secure escorting of young people is managed via two separate contractual arrangements. The Youth Justice Board contracts with providers to transport young people to and from secure training centres and secure children's homes. Cost figures for this contract are available from 2008-09 onwards and are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Cost of transporting young people under 17 to secure training centres and secure children's homes 
			  Total cost (£ million) 
			 2008-09 3.2 
			 2009-10 2.9 
			 2010-11 3.1 
			 2011-12 3.4 
			 2012-13 2.7 
		
	
	Transport of young people who are sent to young offender institutions is the responsibility of the Prisoner Escort Custody Service (PECS), which is part of the National Offender Management Service. PECS manages the secure escort contracts covering all those sent to custody in the prison estate, apart from Category A prisoners: this includes young people sent to young offender institutions.
	Total expenditure under the PECS contracts for the years 2005-06 to 2012-13 is shown in the following table. This covers transport costs for prisoners of all ages. Because of the way in which the data are collected and collated, it is not possible at present to separate out the costs of transporting young people. For future years, the Youth Justice Board is putting systems in place which will enable these costs to be identified separately.
	
		
			 Cost of transporting prisoners of all ages accommodated in the prison estate 
			  Total cost (£ million) 
			 2005-06 146.5 
			 2006-07 155.8 
			 2007-08 164.2 
			 2008-09 157.3 
			 2009-10 161.4 
			 2010-11 163.6 
			 2011-12 146.1 
			 2002-13 134.3

Youth Justice

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on service development programmes in each year since May 2005.

Helen Grant: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.

Youth Justice Board

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much VAT has been paid by the Youth Justice Board on applicable services in each year since May 2005.

Jeremy Wright: The following table provides a summary of VAT incurred by the Youth Justice Board for spend in relation to the following contracts: privately operated young offender institutions where the YJB commission places for young people sentenced to custody; secure escorts to transport young people to/from the youth custodial establishments and to/from court; privately run secure training centres where the YJB commissions places for young people; and youth justice IT programmes.
	
		
			  £000 
			 2005-06 10,450 
			 2006-07 14,615 
			 2007-08 17,573 
			 2008-09 17,246 
			 2009-10 19,170 
			 2010-11 18,796 
			 2011-12 21,129 
			 2012-13 12,093 
		
	
	There was a reduction in VAT paid in 2012-13 due to invoices for Rainsbrook, Hassockfield and Medway Secure Training Centre being paid for by Ministry of Justice because these contracts are with the Secretary of State for Justice. In addition, the YJB agreed a substantial reduction in the National Offender Management Service's charge for prisoner escort custody costs, resulting in a proportionate reduction in VAT costs.
	It would be at a disproportionate cost to the Department to examine each receipt to calculate the amount of VAT on smaller items.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Air Travel

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies travelled on (i) domestic and (ii) international flights in each of the last five years; in which class categories; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest airfare charges in each such year.

James Brokenshire: The information requested for Home Office and its Agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the net present value of the Government's proposals for a minimum unit price for alcohol would be after the first five years of implementation; [R]
	(2)  whether she has undertaken an analysis of the likely impact on bootleg alcohol sales if her plans to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol; and if she will place the information in the Library; [R]
	(3)  whether she has conducted an analysis of the effect of consumer spending in the on-trade from an increase in the cost of alcohol in the off-trade; and if she will place the information in the Library; [R]
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the proportion of the £1,049 million annual cost to consumers from the Government's proposals for a minimum unit price for alcohol that will be met by households below median income. [R]

Jeremy Browne: The Government has recently consulted on a proposed minimum unit price and published a consultation stage impact assessment alongside this.
	A response will be published in due course.

Animal Experiments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Home Office inspection visits have been made to Imperial College London in the last 12 months; and if she will place a copy of any inspection reports in the Library.

Mark Harper: From January 2012 to March 2013 inclusive, Home Office Inspectors made 48 visits to Imperial College.
	We currently have no plans to place a copy of any inspection reports in the Library.

Animal Experiments: Imperial College London

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animals were used in regulated procedures at Imperial College London in (a) 2011 and (b) 2012.

James Brokenshire: The Government is unable to provide the information requested. Information provided by individual project licence holders and licensed establishments on the use of animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 is provided in confidence and is covered by section 24 of the 1986 Act.
	Section 24 prohibits the disclosure by Home Office Ministers and officials of confidential information relating to the use of animals in scientific procedures other than in the discharge of their functions under the 1986 Act. It creates a criminal offence and provides a maximum punishment of two years imprisonment and a fine for unauthorised disclosure of information. The Government has undertaken to review section 24 in the context of our commitment to transparency and we plan to present proposals for consultation during 2013.

Animal Experiments: Imperial College London

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many projects licences granted under the provisions of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 have been granted for procedures being carried out at Imperial College London; and what the severity band for each project is.

James Brokenshire: To protect the health and safety of individuals and places licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 it is not our policy to publish details of the licences held at specific institutions.

Arrest Warrants

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many European arrest warrants were issued in the UK in the last three years.

Mark Harper: I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement made by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), of 16 April 2013, Official Report, column 28WS, which informed the House of an error SOCA has identified in the capture and reporting of information on the numbers of EAWs since 2009-10. HM chief inspector of constabulary (HMCIC) has been asked to work with us to review SOCA data and will report back in mid May.

Assets

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) assets and (b) liabilities are held by (i) her Department and (ii) its non-departmental public bodies with a value of (A) between £100,000 and £1 million, (B) between £1 million and £10 million, (C) between £10 million and £100 million and (D) over £100 million; what the value is of each item; and what assets are scheduled for disposal.

James Brokenshire: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum: Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children seeking asylum in the UK have been stripped searched in the last six months.

Mark Harper: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum: Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the protocol is for children seeking asylum in the UK where their age is disputed.

Mark Harper: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum: Children

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children seeking asylum in the UK have been subject to the use of physical force in the last six months.

Mark Harper: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Communications Data Bill (Draft)

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the provisions of the Communications Data Bill envisage that communication service providers will be able to recover the cost of subject access requests.

James Brokenshire: The Government has accepted the substance of all the recommendations of the Joint Committee on the draft Communications Bill including in relation to cost recovery by communication service providers.

Cost Effectiveness

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library (a) her Department's response to HM Treasury's requests for information on the value of departmental spending in terms of cost-effectiveness per unit cost in advance of the 2010 comprehensive spending review and (b) the data disclosed to HM Treasury on net present value per pound for resource spending.

James Brokenshire: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Counter-terrorism

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department has given to the police forces of England and Wales in connection with the prevent strategy in the last five financial years; and how much such funding will be provided in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

James Brokenshire: The Prevent Strategy was revised in 2011. The subsequent allocation of funding to the police in England and Wales in connection with Prevent is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2010-11 24 
			 2011-12 19.8 
			 2012-13 20.6 
			 2013-14 18.7 
		
	
	The figure available for 2009-10 is £47million and was published in the strategy. This is for overall Prevent funding which includes the contribution to Prevent policing. The figure for 2008-09 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Crime: Victims

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of people referred to victims' services by the police had been in previous contact with (a) police forces, (b) social services and (c) victims' services in each year since 2005;
	(2)  how many calls citing complaints of victimisation of (a) domestic violence and (b) anti-social behaviour police forces received in the last year; and how many people who had made such calls subsequently received visits from the police;
	(3)  how many (a) arrests were made for charges relating to domestic violence and (b) emergency telephone calls concerning allegations of domestic violence were logged in the last 12 months.

Jeremy Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Databases: Telecommunications

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the salary bands are of those employed in the Relationships and Communications Team of the Communications Capabilities Development programme; what the total salary cost is; and how many people the team employs.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 8 November 2012
	Staff across the CCD programme and within the associated policy team have as part of their core duties a requirement to work closely with industry and law enforcement. These staff may also be required to produce relevant communications material.

Deportation

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals have been deported in each of the last five years.

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency seeks to deport from the UK foreign national offenders who meet the following criteria:
	A court recommendation.
	For non-EEA nationals—a custodial sentence of 12 months or more either in one sentence or as an aggregate of two or three sentences over a period of five years, or a custodial sentence of any length for a drug offence (other than possession).
	For EEA nationals—a custodial sentence of 12 months or more for an offence involving drugs, violent or sexual crimes or a custodial sentence of 24 months or more for other offences.
	The following table sets out the number of foreign national offenders removed or deported from the United Kingdom in each year of the last five years:
	
		
			  Total number of FNOs removed by UKBA 
			 2008 5,395 
			 2009 5,530 
			 2010 5,342 
			 2011 4,649 
			 2012 4,589 
		
	
	The table above includes foreign national offenders who do not meet the criteria set out above and are removed from the UK under section 10(1) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Section 10(1) relates to the removal of individuals unlawfully in the UK. The table can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-tables-immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2012

Drugs

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking with international partners to prevent the diversion of legitimately-traded drug precursors into illicit drug production.

Jeremy Browne: The Home Office runs a licensing regime that enables the legitimate trade in high risk precursor chemicals, while reducing the risk of their diversion to the illicit market. The European Union have competence for the control of drug precursor chemicals. The Home Office works closely with EU partners to develop, implement and enforce EU-wide regulations to apply proportionate controls to the trade in drug precursor chemicals. This work includes recognising emerging trends, developing a proportionate response and engaging in a dialogue with source countries for many of the chemicals. The control system is overseen by the International Narcotics Control Board, on behalf of the United Nations.

Entry Clearances

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been allowed entry to the UK subject to guarantees from relatives that they would not be a burden on public finances in each year since 2000; and in how many such cases there has been recourse to that guarantee.

Mark Harper: Information is not held centrally on the number of guarantees (also known as sponsorship undertakings) that have been made arising from the settlement in the UK of a dependent relative or on the number of people who have made a claim for public funds following entry to the UK. To obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	On 9 July 2012 the Government introduced new rules governing the entry of adult dependent relatives. The new rules allow an adult dependent relative of non-European economic area nationality to settle in the UK if they can demonstrate that, as a result of age, illness or disability, they require a level of long-term personal care that can only be provided in the UK by their relative here and without recourse to welfare benefits. The UK resident will continue to be required to ensure that their adult dependent relative will be adequately maintained, accommodated and cared for without recourse to welfare benefits and sign an enforceable five-year undertaking to that effect.

Entry Clearances: Married People

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2013, Official Report, columns 305-6W, on entry clearances: married people, what the average time between receipt of the initial application and the request for biometric information was for those applications made within the UK in each quarter of 2012.

Mark Harper: holding answer 22 April 2013
	The information the hon. Member has requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Table 1: Average time between applications received date and biometric letter despatch date for marriage applications, January to December 2012 
			 Calendar days 
			   Enrolment period 
			   January to March 2012 April to June 2012 July to September 2012 October to December 2012 
			 Postal FLR(M) 33 27 72 65 
			  SET(M) 32 51 57 42 
			       
			 Premium (PEO) FLR(M) 0 0 0 0 
			  SET(M) 0 0 0 0 
			 Notes: 1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. Figures relate to main applicants only. 3. Figures relate to postal applications as well as premium applications submitted at UKBA Public Enquiry Offices (PEO). 4. FLR(M) applications relate to leave to remain. SET(M) applications relate to settlement. 5. Processing time is based on the average number of calendar days from application raised (ie received) date to case creation date (ie date biometric letter issued). 6. Data generated on 24 April 2013. 7. Our procedure is to despatch invitation letters on the date cases are created on our system and so we have used the case creation date to calculate the average times (there may be some exceptions where invitation letters are not sent immediately). 
		
	
	The waiting times have reduced substantially since the end of 2012. For in-country applications we are currently requesting biometric information around 11 days after an application for leave to remain on the basis of marriage has been made.

Entry Clearances: Married People

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2013, Official Report, columns 305-6W, on entry clearances: married people, what the average processing time for initial decisions on marriage visas for non-EU spouses was in each despatch period between January 2011 and December 2012 where the application was made (a) within and (b) outside the UK.

Mark Harper: The information the hon. Member has requested is shown in the following table.
	For overseas visa applications, the visa section may despatch completed applications to the applicant or hold them for collection, dependent on the service chosen by the applicant. Consequently, the figures in Table 1 relate to the date the application was completed.
	Overseas figures relate to non-El) spouse marriage applications only. However, in-country data cannot be disaggregated within cost, consequently this data relates to all in-country marriage applications. For in-country applications we have put additional resource into the processing of applications from spouses and partners of non-EU nationals, and waiting times have reduced. The average waiting time for applications processed last week was around nine weeks, and we are currently considering applications where the applicant enrolled their biometric information on 16 April 2013.
	
		
			 Table 1: Non-EU spouse marriage visa application processing times, January 2011 to December 2012 
			 Days 
			  Processing times 
			   In-country 
			   Postal Premium 
			 Period Overseas FLR(M) SET(M) FLR(M) SET(M) 
			 January to March 2011 37 185 66 8 9 
			 April to June 2011 32 123 78 4 6 
			 July to September 2011 34 71 79 5 5 
			 October to December 2011 26 72 80 5 7 
			 January to March 2012 28 204 90 6 6 
			 April to June 2012 35 141 127 8 11 
			 July to September 2012 53 254 128 21 8 
			 October to December 2012 66 246 143 15 9 
		
	
	
		
			 Notes: 1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. Overseas figures relate to main applicants and dependents. 3. Overseas figures relate to Non-EU spouse marriage visa applications completed between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2012. 4. Overseas processing, time is based on the average External Customer Service working days. 5. Overseas data generated on 3 April 2013. 6. In-country figures relate to main applicants only. 7. In-country figures relate to in-country marriage applications despatched between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2012. 8. FLR(M) applications relate to leave to remain. SET(M) applications relate to settlement. 9. Processing time is based on the average number of calendar days between application raised date and decision despatch date. Figures relate to completed applications only. 10. In-country figures relate to postal applications as well as premium applications submitted at UKBA Public Enquiry Offices (PEO). 11. In-country data generated on 18 April 2013. 12. Overseas figures relate to non-EU spouse marriage applications only. However, in-country-data cannot be disaggregated within cost, consequently this data relates to all in-country marriage applications.

EU Justice and Home Affairs

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials of her Department are working on the proposed EU police and criminal justice opt-out.

James Brokenshire: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with G4S on its suitability and performance as a Government contractor.

James Brokenshire: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Hotels

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies stayed in hotels in (i) the UK and (ii) every other country during the last five years; at what total cost; and what the monetary value was of the 20 highest such hotel expenses in each such year.

James Brokenshire: The information requested for Home Office and its Agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals found to be working illegally in (a) the UK, (b) the east of England and (c) Essex in each year since 2008 have been deported.

Mark Harper: The Home Office does not collate information centrally on the number of arrests as a result of illegal working enforcement visits specifically by the east of England or at county level. However, information relating to activity at a national level and regional level for the midlands and east of England is available. These data are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of arrests as a result of illegal working enforcement visits(1) 
			  National total Midlands and east of England 
			 2008 5,785 838 
			 2009 4,475 702 
			 2010 4,299 727 
			 2011 3,905 850 
			 2012 (2)— (2)— 
			 (1) Information displayed relates to a count of arrests and not individuals. (2) Calendar year information not currently available 
		
	
	The number of arrests made as a result of illegal working enforcement visits, has reduced due to a tactical decision concerning where to target suspected immigration offenders and due to an expansion of the types of activity conducted by enforcement teams, increasing numbers of illegal immigrants have left the UK over the same period. In recent years, as well as illegal working operations, the Home Office has also targeted areas such as abuse of the marriage system, asylum system, organised crime groups and individuals who facilitated significant breaches in the immigration rules for suspected immigration offenders.
	Information relating to the number of arrests, as a result of illegal working enforcement visits, also does not include activity where a tactical decision has been made to target a suspected immigration offender at a residential address rather than an employer's address. The volume of arrests made year on year does not take into consideration complex operational activity against individuals of significance who have committed high harm activity in the United Kingdom.
	All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Immigration

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the number of Romanian and Bulgarian nationals expected to immigrate to the UK between December 2013 and December 2014.

Mark Harper: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 13 February 2013, Official Report, column 759W.
	The report of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research on the potential impact on the UK of future migration from Bulgaria and Romania confirms that:
	“it is not possible to predict the scale of future migration from Bulgaria and Romania to the UK numerically”.
	This report was commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2012 to draw together existing research on the potential impacts on the UK of future migration from Bulgaria and Romania after the lifting of transitional controls on 31 December 2013.

Immigration Controls: Manchester Airport

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2013, Official Report, column 1021W, on Manchester Airport: immigration controls, for what reasons no queuing data was collected at Terminal 3 in (a) November and (b) December 2012.

Mark Harper: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Immigration: Applications

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases at the UK Border Agency for (a) Tier 1 applications, (b) Tier 2 applications, (c) Tier 3 applications and (d) Tier 4 applications are outstanding.

Mark Harper: The following table shows the numbers of Points Based System applications awaiting decisions by case type as of 14 April 2013. The table shows applications made in the UK only.
	
		
			 Case type Total 
			 PBS Tier 1 11,795 
			 PBS Tier 2 6,246 
			 PBS Tier 4 12,208 
			 Total 30,249 
			 Note: 1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. Figures relate to main applicants only. 3. Figures relate to postal and premium applications. 
		
	
	The Home Office received a significant increase in Tier 1 applications in December 2012 and high levels of applications have continued in 2013. The Home Office have deployed considerable extra resource to reduce the volume of Tier 1 applications awaiting a decision.
	The Home Office is currently working on cases received in March for Tiers 2 and 4. Tier 3 is not, and has never been, open for applications.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2013, Official Report, column 147W, on immigration: EU nationals, whether she plans to amend the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 to require mandatory registration of EU nationals exercising their free movement rights.

Mark Harper: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Investigatory Powers Tribunal

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been submitted to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal concerning the surveillance of communications data under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 in each year since implementation of that Act; and what proportion of such complaints have been upheld.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 23 April 2013
	Complaints submitted to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal are in respect of misuses of investigatory powers under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 by those bodies approved to use such powers. No breakdown exists of complaint by type of investigative power.
	Although the tribunal is not obliged by statute to report on its activities, it has generally published statistics on the number of complaints submitted. The most recent information regarding the number of complaints made to the tribunal is set out in its Statistical Report for 2011, which contains the number of complaints made annually since 2001. This states that, in 2011, the tribunal received a total of 180 complaints. I will place a copy of this report in the Library of the House, however it is also available at:
	http://www.ipt-uk.com/docs/20120710-2011StatReportFinal.pdf

Licensing Laws

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licensing authorities have imposed the (a) late night levy and (b) early morning restriction orders to date; and how many of those authorities are in the largest 100 licensing authorities as used for calculating expected revenue from those measures in her Department's impact assessment.

Jeremy Browne: holding answer 18 March 2013
	No licensing authorities have yet introduced either the late night levy or an early morning alcohol restriction order. Both measures were commenced on 31 October 2012. Many licensing authorities have conducted preliminary studies on how the measures would affect their area and some have begun formal consultations.

Members: Correspondence

Peter Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason she has not replied to the letter of 14 February 2013 from the right hon. Member for Neath concerning the case of his constituent; and when she intends to do so.

Mark Harper: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Offences Against Children

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations have led to prosecutions relating to localised grooming in each police force area in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date.

Jeremy Browne: holding answer 22 April 2013
	Child sexual exploitation is an abhorrent form of child abuse and the Government is committed to combating this crime in all its forms.
	The information requested is not held centrally by the Department. However evidence does confirm that police forces are tackling this issue locally. There are an increasing number of cases being brought before the courts, with significant sentences being handed down to perpetrators.
	Already in 2013 we have seen a number of significant cases brought before the courts including prosecutions being brought by Thames Valley Police, Greater Manchester Police, Derbyshire, and Lancashire.

Official Hospitality

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible claimed reimbursements for working lunches and official entertainment in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was in each such year.

James Brokenshire: The information requested for Home Office and its Agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Passports

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the population (a) in total and (b) who are (i) English, (ii) Welsh, (iii) Scottish and (iv) Northern Irish own a passport; and what assessment she has made of the reasons for differences in the ownership of passports between the constituent parts of the UK.

Mark Harper: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much was paid to officials in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in bonuses and other payments in addition to salary in each of the last five years; how many officials received such payments; and what the monetary value was of the 20 largest payments made in each year;
	(2)  what allowances and subsidies in addition to salary were available to officials in (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years; and what the monetary value was of such payments and allowances in each such year.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is set out in the tables:
	Table 1: Non-consolidated performance payments
	Table 2: Largest 20 non-consolidated performance payments
	Table 3: Allowances in addition to salary.
	There are two separate sets of these three tables: one set covers Home Office HQ, the UK Border Agency (UKBA), the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB); the other set covers the Home Office's non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs).
	Non-consolidated performance payments are one-off payments which are non-pensionable, are paid only to the top achievers and are used to help drive performance.
	Allowances comprise skills and recruitment and retention allowances. The figures exclude locational allowances and temporary payments, such as those paid to staff for fulfilling temporary duties. They also exclude expenses, for example the reimbursement of costs actually and necessarily incurred in the course of official business.
	Pay arrangements for the senior civil service (SCS) are based on a framework set by the Cabinet Office. For staff below the SCS, Departments, agencies and NDPBs have delegated authority to tailor reward packages to meet their own business needs, and performance pay and pay-related allowances are a matter for each organisation.
	This response does not include data for 2011-12 for the National Policing Improvement Agency, as to do so would be at a disproportionate cost.
	Although the Equality and Human Rights Commission was sponsored by the Home Office during 2011-12, their data will be included in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's response.
	Home Office NDPBs
	
		
			 Table 1: In-year and end of year non-consolidated performance payments 
			 Financial year Total value of payments (£) Number of staff receiving Total number of staff eligible to receive payment Total value of largest 20 payments (£) 
			 2011-12(1) 914,722 800 4,653 66,607 
			 2010- 11 531,054 721 5,655 105,824 
			 2009-10 915,993 924 5,818 213,893 
			 2008-09 559,731 361 5,651 210,558 
			 2007-08 405,243 422 5,010 178,162 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Largest 20 non-consolidated payments 
			 £ 
			 Payment 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12(1) 
			 1 25,000 20,000 16,793 10,000 10,000 
			 2 15,000 17,000 16,350 8,460 5,000 
			 3 15,000 17,000 12,500 8,250 5,000 
			 4 13,978 17,000 10,000 5,000 5,000 
			 5 12,000 17,000 10,000 5,000 5,000 
			 6 12,000 11,000 10,000 5,000 5,000 
			 7 8,706 10,000 10,000 5,000 5,000 
			 8 8,000 9,026 10,000 5,000 5,000 
			 9 8,000 9,026 10,000 5,000 4,500 
			 10 8,000 9,026 10,000 5,000 2,400 
			 11 7,156 8,500 10,000 5,000 1,687 
			 12 5,322 8,495 10,000 5,000 1,633 
			 13 5,000 8,495 10,000 5,000 1,500 
			 14 5,000 8,495 10,000 5,000 1,500 
			 15 5,000 8,495 10,000 5,000 1,500 
			 16 5,000 8,000 10,000 5,000 1,411 
			 17 5,000 6,000 10,000 5,000 1,369 
			 18 5,000 6,000 10,000 4,232 1,369 
			 19 5,000 6,000 10,000 2,482 1,369 
			 20 5,000 6,000 8,250 2,400 1,369 
			 (1 )This figure does not include the National Policing Improvement Agency. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Allowances in addition to salary 
			 Financial year Allowances in addition to salary (£) 
			 2011-12 600,646 
			 2010-11 1,004,093 
			 2009-10 1,018,864 
			 2008-09 1,278,547 
			 2007-08 1,716,457 
		
	
	Home Office HQ, UKBA, IPS and CRB
	
		
			 Table 1: Performance-related pay awards for the performance year 2011-12 
			 Total value of payments (£) Number of awards(1) Number of staff eligible for award Total value of largest 20 payments (£) 
			 4,502,280 7,936 30,724 181,000.00 
			 (1 )Data included covers the number of awards made, not the number of individuals awarded a payment. Staff in grades AA to G6 are eligible to receive both an end of year non-consolidated performance payment and a special performance payment in the same year. Therefore the number of payments may include individuals who have been awarded both types of payment within the 2011-12 performance year. Notes: Extract date: 1 April 2012 for Dataview, 30 September 2012 for payroll information. Source: Data on non-consolidated performance related pay taken from P60 information from payroll and reconciled with Data View—the Home Office's single source of Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot Corporate Human Resources data. Period covered: Data relates to the performance year 2011-12 in which these payments were awarded; 2011-12 end of year performance-related payments were paid in July 2012; and special performance payments were made during the 2011-12 year in which they were awarded. Employee coverage: All civil servants, paid and unpaid, who were either current staff or leavers as at 31 March 2012 have been included as eligible for a performance-related payment. Organisational coverage: Figures include Home Office headquarters (including Border Force) and the Department's executive agencies (UK Border Agency, Identity and Passport Service and the Criminal Records Bureau—data for the National Fraud Agency was not available). Transparency agenda considerations: Figures provided are in line with Cabinet Office guidelines on non-consolidated performance payment reporting. Additional notes: Includes end of year performance payments made to grades AA to SCS, and special performance awards made to grades AA to G6. SCS bonuses are also reported in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts for the end of each financial year. Performance-based contractual bonus payments made to members of the SCS have also been included. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Largest 20 non-consolidated payments 2011-12 
			 Payment £ 
			 1 (1)56,000 
			 2 10,000 
			 3 8,000 
			 4 7,000 
			 5 7,000 
			 6 7,000 
			 7 7,000 
			 8 7,000 
			 9 7,000 
			 10 7,000 
			 11 7,000 
			 12 7,000 
			 13 7,000 
			 14 7,000 
			 15 5,000 
			 16 5,000 
			 17 5,000 
			 18 5,000 
			 19 5,000 
			 20 5,000 
			 (1 )The Home Office runs some of the biggest, most important programmes across Government. This payment was made to a member of staff who was employed for a short (fixed) term specialist programme which required specialist expertise. The fixed term appointment has now ended. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Allowances in addition to salary 
			 Financial year £ 
			 2011-12 3,601,213

Police

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (a) how many and (b) what proportion of police officers were in each National Readership Grade social grade in each of the last 30 years.

Damian Green: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Cautions

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many cautions were issued for indictable only offences (a) nationally and (b) by police authority area in each year from 2002 to 2012 by type of offence;
	(2)  how many cautions were issued for (a) triable either way offences and (b) indictable only offences in each year from 2002 to 2012 (i) nationally and (ii) by police authority area;
	(3)  what the caution rate was by type of offence in each year from 2002 to 2012 (a) in England and Wales and (b) by police authority area.

Jeremy Wright: The use of cautions is at its lowest level for more than five years, as is the number of cautions issued to those who have a previous criminal record. However, the public and victims have a right to expect that people who commit serious crimes should be brought before a court. On 3 April 2013 we launched a review into the use of cautions which will focus on the use of cautions for serious offences and persistent offenders. Among other things, the review will examine whether there are some offences for which the use of simple cautions is generally inappropriate, the reasons why multiple cautions are given to some criminals and the difference in the use of cautions by police force areas. The review is a significant step to ensuring that cautions are used correctly, in the interests of justice, and command the confidence of the public.
	The number of cautions issued for indictable only and triable either way offences, and the caution rate by type of offence in each police force area in England and Wales in each year from 2002 to 2011 (latest data available), can be viewed in the tables. Statistics on out-of-court disposals in 2012 are planned for publication in May 2013.

Police ICT Company

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the current status is of the Police IT Company; and what the value is of the savings it has made to date.

Damian Green: In June 2012 the Police ICT Company was established as a company limited by guarantee. It is currently jointly owned by the Home Office and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC), as an interim measure until Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) take ownership. The company is not yet operational. The company board is currently overseeing the development of the long-term business plan and structure of the company including ownership and will take the commercial decision as to when the company becomes operational.
	The Police ICT Company Directorate (PCD) was created in the Home Office to build a business ready to transfer into the company in due course. This includes commercial management functions that were transferred from the National Policing Improvement Agency in October 2012. In 2012-13, PCD secured cost avoidance and cashable savings worth £36 million through challenge and commercial management of existing contracts.

Police: G8

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers from Great Britain are expected to be on duty in Northern Ireland over the period of the hosting of the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland.

Damian Green: This is a matter for the Police Service of Northern Ireland and chief officers of police from Scottish, Welsh and English police forces, under mutual aid arrangements.

Police: Recruitment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent changes have been introduced in relation to the recruitment of police officers; and what assessment she plans to make of recruitment levels of officers from (a) black and ethnic minority communities and (b) deprived communities.

Damian Green: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Procurement

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish details of all (a) her Department's and (b) its non-departmental public bodies' existing contractual commitments with a value of (i) between £100,000 and £1 million, (ii) between £1 million and £10 million, (iii) between £10 million and £100 million and (iv) over £100 million; what the (A) duration, (B) value including annual costs to the public purse, (C) expiry date and (D) purpose of each such contract is; and whether each such contract contains (1) renewal clauses and (2) early release clauses.

James Brokenshire: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

James Brokenshire: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Redundancy Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which she is responsible received payments under a voluntary exit scheme in each of the last five years; and at what total cost in each such year.

James Brokenshire: Information about the number of officials in the Home Department and its non-departmental public bodies who have received payments under an exit scheme in 2010-11 and 2011-12 and the total costs of those exits has been published in the Home Department's annual report and accounts for those years. This is shown in the following table. Information for 2012-13 will be published as part of the 2012-13 annual report and accounts. There were no voluntary exits from the Home Department and its non-departmental public bodies in 2009-10. Information on years prior to 2009/10 is not captured centrally and could be calculated only at disproportionate cost.
	The Civil Service Compensation Scheme was reformed in December 2010. Under the previous terms, there could be costs extending for up to 10 years from a departure while under the reformed scheme all of the costs fall within the year of departure. The National Audit Office has estimated that under the reformed scheme, the cost of exits is around 40-50% less than the previous compensation scheme. The reformed scheme allows for greater distinction between voluntary and compulsory exits and is designed to encourage voluntary rather than compulsory departures.
	
		
			 Table as shown in Annual Report and Accounts 2011-12, page 129. Accounts Section, Note 7.1: Reporting of civil service and other compensation schemes—exit packages 
			 Civil Service Compensation Scheme 
			  2011-12 2010-11 
			 Exit package cost band Number of compulsory redundancies Number of other departures agreed Total number of exit packages by cost band Number of compulsory redundancies Number of other departures agreed Total number of exit packages by cost band 
			 Less than £10,000 25 91 116 2 265 267 
			 £10,000 to £25,000 10 717 727 3 711 714 
			 £25,000 to £50,000 2 582 584 9 563 572 
			 £50,000 to £100,000 — 279 279 5 463 468 
			 £100,000 to £150,000 — 60 60 2 162 164 
			 £150,000 to £200,000 1 12 13 — 59 59 
			 £200,000 to £250,000 — 6 6 — 15 15 
			 £250,000 to £300,000 — 1 1 — 4 4 
			 £300,000 to £350,000 — — — — 1 1 
		
	
	
		
			        
			 Total number of exit packages by type 38 1,748 1,786 21 2,243 2,264 
			 Total resource cost (£000) 536 63,297 63,833 1,066 100,287 101,353 
			 Note: Redundancy and other departure costs have been paid in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, a statutory scheme made under the Superannuation Act 1972. Exit costs are accounted for in full in the year of departure. Where the Department has agreed early retirements, the additional costs are met by the Department and not by the civil service pension scheme. Ill-health retirement costs are met by the pension scheme and are not included in the table: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/143619/annual-report-2011-12.pdf

Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the five largest employers in Bassetlaw constituency were in terms of recruitment through the 2012 seasonal agricultural workers scheme.

Mark Harper: There were only three employers in the Bassetlaw constituency who used the seasonal agricultural workers scheme in 2012:
	Wheatley Wood Produce
	Tasker, E A and M
	CM & GW Goacher Ltd.
	They are ranked on the most number of workers recruited.
	Notes:
	1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
	2. Figures based on information provided by the operators responsible for administering the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) on behalf of the Home Office.

Seasonal Agricultural Workers’ Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the 20 largest employers were in terms of recruitment through the 2012 seasonal agricultural workers scheme.

Mark Harper: The following table lists the top 20 employers who recruited workers through the 2012 seasonal agricultural workers scheme. They are ranked on the most number of workers recruited.
	
		
			 Ranking Farm 
			 1 Barway Services Ltd 
			 2 Staples Vegetables 
			 3 Haygrove 
			 4 Oakdene Farm 
			 5 International Farm Camp 
			 6 Rowe Farming Limited 
			 7 Brook Farm 
			 8 Cobrey Farms 
			 9 Hugh Lowe Farms Ltd 
			 10 Edward Vinson 
			 11 Hernhill Nursery 
			 12 Sandfields Farms Limited 
			 13 E C Drummond & Son 
			 14 George Busby & Sons 
			 15 M T Mitchell 
			 16 Pencoyd Court Farm 
			 17 Stewarts Of Tayside Ltd 
			 18 Rumwood Green Farm 
			 19 Oakchurch Farm 
			 20 Groves Farm 
			 Notes: 1. All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. Figures based on information provided by the operators responsible for administering the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) on behalf of the Home Office.

Sexual Offences: Victim Support Schemes

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for which services provided by sexual assault referral centres funding will be transferred from her Department to the NHS National Commissioning Board in 2015; and if she will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The funding and commissioning arrangements for sexual assault referral centres is now a matter for NHS England, who will work collaboratively with Police and Crime Commissioners and local authority commissioners to determine the needs for their local areas.

Sexual Offences: Young People

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding the Government has allocated since 2010-11 on improving services for people under the age of 18 who are victims of sexual violence.

Theresa May: holding answer 22 April 2013
	The Government is committed to ensuring that victims of sexual violence have access to the support they need. The Home Office and Ministry of Justice have collectively ring-fenced nearly £40 million of stable funding until 2015 for specialist domestic and sexual violence local support services and national helplines, which will include assisting those under the age of 18.
	This funding includes the Home Office provision of £1.72 million per year for 87 independent sexual violence advisors, some of which specialise in dealing with victims under the age of 18. This level of funding will continue to 2015.
	The Home Office is also providing £1.2 million over three years (from April 2012 until March 2015) for 13 Young People's Advocates working in areas most affected by gangs. They provide direct and dedicated support to young people under 18 who have been victims, or are at risk of, sexual and domestic violence and/or sexual exploitation.

UK Border Agency

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she expects performance in each area of permanent migration within the UK Border Agency to be within the agency's service standard by March 2013.

Mark Harper: holding answer 15 April 2013
	As at the end of March 2013, nationality and settlement casework were within published service standards. European casework was at 97% against a service standard of 100% of cases decided within six months.
	The information has been provided from local management information and has not been quality assured to the level of published National Statistics. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

UK Border Agency

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost of transferring the functions of UK Border Agency to her Department.

Mark Harper: holding answer 18 April 2013
	Any costs incurred in this internal Home Office reorganisation will be met from existing budgets.

UK Border Agency

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of the cost to the public purse of restructuring the UK Border Agency.

Mark Harper: holding answer 17 April 2013
	Any costs incurred in this internal Home Office reorganisation will be met from existing budgets.

UK Border Agency

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on which dates the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration was (a) consulted about and (b) given final confirmation of the abolition of the UK Border Agency and the return of its functions to her Department;

Mark Harper: holding answer 17 April 2013
	Home Office Ministers have regular meetings and conversations with ministerial colleagues and others as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

UK Border Agency: South West

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many raids on (a) home addresses and (b) workplaces the UK Border Agency has conducted in (i) Swindon and (ii) the South West in the last 12 months.

Mark Harper: holding answer 23 April 2013
	The Home Office does not collate information centrally on the number of home and workplace enforcement visits by town or at district level.
	However, this information is available for the ‘Wales and the South West Region’. Records indicate that between April 2012 and March 2013, the Home Office carried out 575 enforcement visits to residential addresses and 1,019 visits to non-residential addresses.
	All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Urban Areas

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will implement a campaign to encourage local night-time economies to emulate the best practice recommended by the Purple Flag Award, and to bid for Purple Flag Award recognition.

Jeremy Browne: The Government's alcohol strategy promotes effective partnership working between businesses, the police and local authorities. There are a number of excellent initiatives that help towns and cities to achieve this, including Purple Flag, which the Home Office actively supports. I would certainly encourage all night time economies to emulate the best practice recommended by this scheme.

Violence Against Women and Girls Ministerial Group

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 15 April 2013, Official Report, column 154W, on Violence Against Women and Girls Ministerial Group, what the (a) Department, (b) ministerial level and (c) civil service grade is of each attendee at the last five of those meetings.

Jeremy Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many holding answers her Department provided to written parliamentary questions in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) the first quarter of 2013; and what estimate she has made of the cost of providing such answers.

Mark Harper: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.